The Repercussions of Being Ransomed
by CoolCarrot
Summary: A casual hunting trip turns to chaos when bandits ransom Arthur with Merlin by his side. The bandits torture the warlock for added information too. Plot twists will occur. Painful Merlin!Whump will continue throughout the fiction. Wear goggles for slash.
1. Chapter 1: The Attack

**A/N: Hello!**

**I've had this story in my head for more than six months now and thought that it was time to get it into writing. The plot bunnies will be pleased. :) **

**I hope you enjoy this :) Please review!**

**Chapter One: The Attack**

"Ugh! How many times do you have to fall over, Merlin?" shouted the Crown Prince of Camelot. His manservant had just tripped over a root and onto his master, _again_.

The two had been hunting in the warm forest for a long time now. The men would have been back by now if it weren't for Merlin scaring the animals away, every time they got close to killing one.

"It's not me! It's my feet!" whined the warlock in protest. He stared into his master's sapphire eyes.

"Merlin, what have we said about you trying to be funny?" asked the prince. He narrowed his eyes while leaning forward slightly. Arthur wore a Pendragon red tunic with black pants. His hair was slick with sweat from the hot day.

"I shouldn't." said Merlin. He gave a minor grimace.

Arthur gave a slight nod to his right whilst staring at Merlin. His expression held the words of, "Exactly".

"So, next time I am about to kill an animal, Merlin. I want to stay at least _three_ metres away from me," said Arthur. He began to reset his crossbow whilst having a vague thought about shooting his servant with it. He then hated himself for the thought.

"Get it?" asked Arthur. He walked into the middle of a small clearing as he tried to forget about his earlier thoughts.

"Got it." replied Merlin. He trailed behind Arthur.

"Good."

"So, three metres, right? Isn't that a bit much, though… I mean, when we see an animal, I'll end up making more noise 'cause I've got to move that far away from you –"

_He just said he 'got' what I was talking about! But then he just goes and questions me... _the prince shook his head in disbelief.

"– come on, Arthur. _Three _metres! Why so exact, just say 'stay back' or something. Ooh, ooh… I've got it!" Merlin snapped his fingers as a thought washed over him. "Why don't I stay two metres behind you, it's _so _much easier to measure or maybe even two and half if you're _really_ fussy –"

As Merlin babbled, Arthur heard rustling noises in the bushes. He froze solid. "Merlin, shh." he whispered but it seemed that Arthur had no control over his manservant because the boy just kept on rambling...

"Yeah…, two and a half metres…. That seems good –"

"Merlin. Shut. Up. NOW." Arthur spoke in a loud and firm voice. He paused significantly after each word.

It seemed the warlock had finally received the message because he obeyed his master immediately. Merlin didn't know why he had to be quiet but he just knew that he should. He recognised that face of Arthur's well enough to realise that something bad had, or was going to happen.

The prince held his already-set crossbow up and waited for the thing in the bush to move again. If it were a bandit he would have some protection and if it were an animal he could shoot it quickly. Then, they could finally obtain their first catch for the day.

The bushes moved again. Merlin had now grasped why Arthur wanted him quiet.

_I certainly hope it's not another bandit. _thought Merlin fearfully. He'd had enough bandit attacks to know that they never ended well.

For the third time, the shrubs rustled – but much louder than before. Arthur readjusted his grip on the crossbow and focused his eyes on the consistent movement coming from the bush.

All of a sudden, an arrow came from behind. It whizzed inches past Merlin's right cheek, wedging itself into a nearby tree. Merlin yelped in fright and Arthur cursed under his breath. That arrow was far to close to Merlin for his liking.

Seconds later, a loud roar sounded and bandits came swarming into view. They circled Arthur and Merlin from _almost _every angle.

All the bandits wore black robes tied with a dark, long sash tied at the front. The girdle hung loosely around their hips. Some had weapons whilst others didn't. It looked like they were apart of some secret alliance.

Arthur instinctively went into what you'd call a "defence mode". He dropped his crossbow and swiftly unsheathed his sword from his scabbard. His other weapon would do no good now. There were one to many bandits for the use of that weapon. For these kinds of situations, a sword was the best option.

Arthur didn't wait for the bandits to make the first move. He pulled Merlin behind himself with a free arm and started swinging his sword threateningly at their assailants.

He then ran straight toward a rather large bandit and swung his sword straight at them. Just before the metal was about to strike, the large man put on a malicious grin. His eyes flashed from dark brown to molten gold.

Arthur's sword got no closer than eleven inches to the man before it suddenly stopped. It seemed that an invisible force field had been put around the sword because it was frozen in midair. The abrupt halt ricocheted back up through Arthur's arms violently. He tried to move the sword but it was stuck tight in the air. It was just the same as trying to lift a heavy boulder.

Something like this was not mundane. This man was a definitely a sorcerer and this bandit probably wasn't the only one who had magic. There was a good chance that the others had magic too. _How do we always get ourselves into these situations? _he thought incredulously.

"Arthur!" shouted Merlin. He came rushing forward, placing himself in front of his master and before the bandit. "Save yourself! Run!"

_Damn it, why does Merlin always have to be so overly-loyal? _thought Arthur irritably. _I hardly do anything for him, but yet, here he is sacrificing his life for mine. _

"No. You leave, Merlin." Arthur dropped his arms to his sides. "You wouldn't stand a minute if I left you."

_If only you knew, Arthur... _But Merlin decided that this was certainly no time to be thinking about things like that. "I'm not going anywhere –"

"Enough!" shouted a deep voice. It had emanated loudly from the large bandit whom had frozen Arthur's sword. The man's middle-aged face was round and dark stubble covered his chin. A mop of black, untamed hair covered his scalp and dark smudges were shown beneath his coffee coloured eyes – they were tired eyes that held much wisdom. The tall man's body wasn't exactly on the slim side; this could be told from his dark-hooded robe and sash that covered his large belly. They were the same robes worn by all of the other six _thin_ bandits encircling the men now.

"Neither of you are going anywhere," the bandit had lowered his voice into a normal tone. "Ryrren, Edmund. Please do the honours." he waved a hand and two bandits stepped forward.

Both men were probably in their early twenties. They were around the same tall height (around the stature of Arthur and Merlin) and had the same skinny figure. Their faces were long, sustaining high, prominent cheekbones and small, elegant noses. Thin lips were held in tight lines as cold, emerald eyes flicked sceptically over Merlin and Arthur. One set of eyes, much softer-looking than the other's. The men were almost identical except for one aspect. One had thin blond hair while he other had limp, brunette curls.

_This can't be good. _Merlin gulped. If he were on his own, he would use magic right now but with Arthur around that wasn't going to happen. He would only use it as a last resort.

"Hang on," said Arthur. He flung his hands in front of himself; the large bandit threw a hand in the air to signal the other two bandits to stop whatever they were going to do. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing?" asked Arthur putting his "official" voice on. "I am the Crown Prince of Camelot."

"Oh, I'm well aware of whom you are, young prince; for I, I am Althadrel. The leader of the high and mighty Areltorians," said Althadrel sounding very formal. "And what I'm doing, you'll find out soon enough."

_So they are apart of some secret alliance… _thought Arthur.

"Althadrel? The Areltorians? I've never heard of you." said Merlin flat out. He was hoping to offend the leader.

"That you shouldn't. No one knows of us because no one ever lives long enough to tell the tale." an evil grin slowly crept on Althadrel's face.

Merlin gave another worried gulp.

Althadrel sighed, "Ryrren, Edmund. Please continue." he signalled for them to move again. The two bandits slowly began walking toward Merlin and Arthur.

"Stop now and we'll leave you alone. We won't ever speak of you. You will stay secret." said Arthur. Sure he had lied, but it was certainly worth a try.

"I know you're lying, young prince and we don't act without reason, so why would we let you go now?" said the leader.

"Then you leave me no choice." said Arthur. He raised his hand and was about to punch the leader square in the jaw, before Althadrel quickly lifted his own hand and swooshed it downward. Arthur soon realised it as another signal.

At the speed of light, Ryrren, Edmund each threw a hand out in sync. "Liga homines." They said in time with one another. They're eyes flashed from bright green to molten gold and strong ropes appeared from no where and began tying themselves around Merlin's arms, wrists and ankles. At the same time, Arthur's arm was forced down and his arms, ankles and wrists were too, bound together.

_Are these people for real? They tell us that they're a secret, magical alliance and they do everything they do is in time with one another. I wouldn't doubt it if they had been practicing routines for this event they're whole lives… _thought Merlin.

By the look on Arthur's face, he was probably thinking the same thing as his servant.

Suddenly, another member of the Areltorians came rushing out from behind a tree in the forest. "Althadrel!" he yelled. The young, thin man whispered into the leader's ear as soon as he reached him. After he'd finished speaking, the man used the back of his hand to wipe sweat off of his clammy forehead. The Areltorian must have been running for a while and those dark robes didn't look all too helpful, either.

"If you excuse me, I am needed back at our camp with several other members of our alliance here," said Althadrel loudly to Arthur and Merlin. "You four—," the man pointed to certain men, who were dressed in the usual black garments, "—come with me. Edmund, Ryrren. You stay here and guard our prisoners."

Soon enough, Althadrel and the others had disappeared from sight and into the canopy of the forest. Only Edmund and Ryrren were left guarding Merlin and Arthur.

A light-hearted voice spoke, "As you would already know, we are Edmund and Ryrren. I, Edmund—," he gestured to himself, "—and my non-identical twin brother, Ryrren." he then motioned to his blond sibling.

"Oh, do stop with the formalities, brother. Here we are, _alone_, with the prisoners. There is no need for us to apply ourselves to such rules." said Ryrren arrogantly. The blond's voice was angry and deep.

"I was only being kind. These two will probably end up going through a lot soon. It's the least I can do." said the raven-haired boy gently.

"You do not need to do anything for these imbeciles, brother." said Ryrren rudely.

"Hey, we're right here, you know." said Merlin audaciously.

"Do not speak to your superiors like that, boy." said Ryrren angrily. He walked gracefully (but with anger flowing through him, all the same) over to Merlin and slapped him hard across the left cheek. Merlin hissed with pain as he fell backward, knocking his head hard on the ground. He was unable to stop his fall because of the tight binds restraining him.

"You leave my manservant alone!" shouted Arthur heatedly.

"You're manservant, is he? I was wondering who he was... Why do you care so much about an idiotic thing like him?" Ryrren walked towards Arthur and gripped his chin firmly in his hand. "You willing to tell me, hmm?"

"Because... he's my f-friend." Arthur tried to look down but couldn't because of the hand gripping his chin. All he could do was stare into those cold, green eyes.

After several long seconds, Ryrren let go of Arthur's face. His serious expression had changed into an amused one. Ryrren raised his eyebrows. "Your servant? A friend? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of!" he began laughing. "A friend," he repeated, "tell me you're joking. This is all a joke, isn't it?"

"No, Merlin's – Merlin's my friend." said Arthur. He grimaced.

"You astound me, prince. How could anyone be friends such a worthless piece of cr–"

"Shut it!" said Arthur loudly. His eyes were wide and threatening.

"I have let you speak your mind too freely it seems…," Ryrren pondered for a moment and then shot a look at his brother. "Edmund, gag him."

Edmund walked over to Arthur with a piece of cloth and was about to tie it when Arthur suddenly jumped forward and pushed the man to the ground by falling on top of him. The prince wasn't one to be gagged without a fight.

"How dare you touch my younger brother!" shouted the blond man angrily.

"It's fine, Ry." said Edmund. He rolled Arthur off his body, stood up and dusted himself off.

"No, it isn't." came the reply of Edmund's twin bother.

Arthur was watching all this on his back trying to figure out ways to aggravate Ryrren further. Then it came to him. _Ryrren's weak spot is Edmund and getting angry far too easily…. _A smile etched itself onto his face.

Ryrren noticed this and then spoke loudly. "What are you thinking?" he asked. He walked closer to Arthur and stared down at him.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said Arthur still continuing his taunting smile as he lay on the dirty ground.

"I demand you to tell me now!" shouted Ryrren; he stomped his foot as he said the word "now". The man walked right over to Arthur and lifted him up into a standing position by grabbing tufts of his hair.

The prince ignored the pain and began speaking. "Did I ever mention how weak you look by protecting your brother like that?" said Arthur smirking.

"Don't you even think of bringing Edmund into this. Edmund," Ryrren paused to turn to his brother but it seemed he wasn't there so he looked back to Arthur. "Edmund, is a good person and –" Edmund _isn't there!_

Horror filled Ryrren immediately. He quickly let go of Arthur. "Edmund!" he shouted as he spun around surveying the forest. He quickly swivelled back to look into Arthur's blue eyes when he saw no one there. "Where is he? What have you done to him?" asked Ryrren angrily.

"I haven't done anything! I've been here with you the whole time bound up in ropes! How could I do anything? Unless…" _Merlin, did something… _Arthur trailed off into thoughts, _but how could he? He is bound up right behind me and hasn't moved the entire time... Or has he?_

Arthur jumped to turn his body around and saw nobody. "Merlin? MERLIN?" shouted Arthur listening hard for any sign of his servant.

He then turned back to Ryrren. "What have you done with him?" he asked irately.

"Nothing. It's you who has done something to my brother." said the blond man furiously.

"Ryrren! Help me!" Edmund's scared voice echoed through the forest. As soon as Ryrren heard his brother's voice, he was off. The man quickly disappeared into the wilderness.

"Well, that certainly worked well, didn't it?" said a voice from behind the prince. As soon as Arthur had heard that, hope and happiness filled him. Arthur knew that voice anywhere. That was the voice of his servant, his friend. That was the voice of Merlin.

He swivelled around to see his manservant standing free of restraints and smiling that signature smile of his.

**Earlier:**

"As you would already know, we are Edmund and Ryrren. I, Edmund—," he gestured to himself, "—and my non-identical twin brother, Ryrren." he then motioned to his blond his sibling.

"Oh, do stop with the formalities, brother. Here we are, _alone_, with the prisoners. There is no need for us to apply ourselves to such rules." said Ryrren arrogantly.

"I was only being kind. These two will probably end up going through a lot soon. It's the least I can do." said the raven-haired boy gently.

_That doesn't sound promising… _thought Merlin.

"You do not need to do anything for these imbeciles, brother." said Ryrren rudely.

"Hey, we're right here, you know." Merlin spoke audaciously.

"Do not speak to your superiors like that, boy." said Ryrren angrily and he walked elegantly over to Merlin. He slapped him hard across the face. Merlin hissed with pain and fell backward, knocking his head hard. He was not able to stop his fall because of the binds restraining him.

_Oww! Slap harder why don't you? _thought Merlin irritably. He could feel a red, stinging hand mark beginning to reveal itself on his left cheek.

"You leave my manservant alone!" shouted Arthur heatedly.

_Why thank you, Arthur. _thought Merlin happily.

"You're manservant, is he? I was wondering who he was... Why do you care so much about an idiotic thing like him?" Ryrren walked towards Arthur and gripped his chin firmly in his hand. "You willing to tell me, hmm?"

_Idiotic thing like me? Why does everyone have to think of me as an idiot? _thought Merlin angrily.

"Because... He's my f-friend." Arthur tried to look down but couldn't because of the hand gripping his chin. All he could do was stare into those cold, green eyes.

_Is it really so hard to admit? Anyway, better get moving onto a plan... I usually am the one to get us out of situations like these…. _thought Merlin.

After watching Arthur and Ryrren speak – more like shout at each other – an idea had washed over Merlin. Since the prince and the blond twin were so involved in their argument, he would be able to use magic without them noticing.

If he could firstly unbind himself… Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the rough ropes loosened around him. They fell into a heap around his body.

Now if he could just get to Edmund... Merlin quietly stood up and walked softly from the ropes. His eyes then flashed molten gold once again and time began to slow down significantly.

Merlin sprinted around Ryrren and Arthur and all the way to Edmund. Fortunately, no one had noticed. This was probably because he was moving too fast to be seen. Merlin wrapped his hand around the raven-haired boy's mouth to silence him and speedily dragged him out of the clearing and into the undergrowth.

Time once again resumed itself and Edmund's eyes were open wide with shock. He tried to scream but couldn't create any sound because of the hand covering his mouth.

Merlin spun Edmund around so he could see his face. He then shoved him roughly against a large oak tree while removing his hand from the boy's mouth. The warlock kept his tight grip around the man's arm so he wouldn't have the strong urge to move. "Try contacting anyone and I'll kill you." threatened Merlin trying to sound menacing. Even if the boy did try, he probably wouldn't kill him but the man didn't need to know that.

Thankfully, Edmund didn't try shouting and just nodded in reply to Merlin's threat. "I want you to let me and Arthur go, okay?" said Merlin still trying to sound intimidating.

The raven-haired twin shook his head. "Well then, I guess you and your brother will have to die." Merlin stared daggers. He felt absolutely horrible and so out-of-character doing this. Edmund probably wouldn't even be involved in this secret society if it weren't for his sibling. It looked like Ryrren was very influential on Edmund. But even if Merlin did feel awful doing this, he had no choice. The warlock couldn't think of another way and Arthur _always _came first.

"No." said raven-haired twin meekly.

"I need cooperation here, Edmund," Merlin let out a sigh. "I don't want to do this but I must. If you listen to me, no one gets hurt. Fail to listen; anyone who gets in the way _will _be harmed. Namely, yourself and Ryrren."

"You wouldn't try anything." said Edmund. He desperately tried to sound stronger than he was.

"You willing to take that chance?" asked Merlin.

_No_, Edmund didn't want to take that chance. His brother was almost apart of him; if he lost his brother than he would lose a part of himself. It probably had something to do with being twins – even if they were non-identical. Edmund already had an idea of what Merlin could do, and the scary thing was that something told him that what he'd just visualized, wasn't all the man was capable of.

Edmund didn't want to speak so he just stared into Merlin's eyes as a response.

"No, I didn't think so," said the servant reading the boy's expression. "So are you willing to listen now?" he asked.

The raven-haired brother didn't say a word and only nodded.

"I'm glad we have an understanding now. I need you to call your brother for help and run the opposite direction from here. You got that?" asked Merlin.

Edmund nodded.

"Fail to do so; you and your brother will be harmed," threatened Merlin. "Go." he said but Edmund just froze still as a statue.

"Edmund!" a loud shout from Ryrren sounded.

The blond brother had noticed they were missing. Merlin's plan couldn't fail; it could be the last chance they had to escape. "Now!" Merlin whispered harshly. "Or I'll hurt you and your brother!"

"Merlin? MERLIN?" came from the shouts of Arthur's voice.

"C'mon!" Merlin raised his whisper a little louder.

Edmund decided it was best if he listened to the warlock so he began to act.

"Ryrren! Help me!" shouted Edmund loudly. His voice rang through the forest.

Merlin pushed Edmund's shoulder with his hand as if to tell him to get running. Edmund received the message and bolted.

The servant then slowed time down so he could quickly get out of Ryrren's way. He was certain the blond brother would respond to Edmund's calls for help immediately. They were pretty closely bonded. Even A blind man could see it.

Merlin sprinted right around the edge of the glade. He made sure that his body couldn't be seen from the clearing and was covered by the trees. He speedily ran out from the protection of undergrowth and took a few quick strides toward the prince's turned back.

"Well, that certainly worked well, didn't it?" said Merlin cheerfully. He was amazed at what he'd just did. He couldn't wait to tell Gaius.

Soon enough, Arthur swivelled around to see his manservant standing free of restraints and smiling like a lunatic.

"What the hell did you just do, Merlin?" asked Arthur incredulously.

"There's just no pleasing you sometimes is there, sire?" said Merlin exasperatedly.

"Merlin, what did you do?" asked Arthur with astonishment.

"I'll tell you later. Right now we need to get out of here." said Merlin. It was too hard to explain. He would have to think of something later and they really did need to get out of here fast. Edmund would be sure to tell Ryrren what he'd done if he hadn't already.

Merlin quickly ran to Arthur's sword, which was still hovering midair. He wrapped a firm hand around the handle, muttered a spell to release it from its frozen state up and turned back to his master. He quickly cut through all of the ropes restricting Arthur's movement.

"How did you get the sword?" asked Arthur curiously.

"Not sure," Merlin lied, "Maybe the spell holding it up there is broken when it's touched by another person…" The warlock noticed Arthur's suspicious expression so he swiftly changed topics. "We better get moving. They'll be back any minute now." he said quickly.

"Right." said Arthur falling for the change in subject. He hastily took the sword off Merlin.

Servant and master both sprinted out of the clearing and into the forest as fast as they could. They had no idea where they were going. All they knew was that they had to get away. Arthur lead the way as usual whilst Merlin followed behind; occasionally tripping over camouflaged roots.

After several minutes of flat out running, Arthur suddenly halted and Merlin almost smashed into him.

"Why did you stop running –" Merlin cut his own sentence off. "Oh." he said. The boys' were on the very edge of a high cliff, which lead right to a raging river full of jagged rocks and white water. It was at least 50 feet high.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise of footsteps sounding behind the men. They had being followed. Luckily, the Areltorians didn't know exactly where they were because of the all trees and bushes. There was still time to hide somewhere.

"Quickly, Merlin. Come this way." Arthur got down onto the ground and quickly lowered himself over the cliff and onto a feeble outcrop of rock that emerged from the high rock face.

Merlin followed suit but much more slowly. Once down, the men pressed their backs against the rock face hoping they wouldn't be seen and that the small, rocky platform wouldn't give way.

Thankfully, after about five minutes the footsteps died out.

"That was close." said Merlin as he let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.

"Yeah, too close," Arthur sighed in relief. Who knew what the Areltorians were going to do to them if they found the men again. "Well, come on. Let's climb back up. I don't want to see how long this rock will hold."

Arthur jumped up and grabbed the edge of the cliff. He then hauled himself up and over so he was on his knees and facing where he'd come from. He knew the boy wasn't as good at physical things as he was so Arthur decided to make sure that he was there to offer extra support just in case.

The prince took in a deep breath. "Okay, Merlin. Jump up and grasp the top of the rock face. What I did just before." he instructed.

Merlin didn't reply but did what the prince told him to do. He leaped up and took hold of the hard edge. The warlock was about to pull himself over when something dreadful happened. Merlin and Arthur heard a crack in the rock.

"Faster, Merlin." said the prince. He was beginning to panic but still trying to remain calm. Nothing good ever came from panicking.

"I'm trying!" said Merlin quickly. The poor boy was terrified.

Suddenly, some of the cliff edges where Merlin's hands were turned to rubble and the man fell back down onto the outcrop of rock that the men were standing on moments before. It shook lightly when the warlock landed.

"Okay, Merlin. Grab my hands. I'll try lifting you up." said Arthur trying to keep his voice confident. He moved his hands down to Merlin and the boy latched onto them tightly. It was like his fingers were a cat's claw in fabric.

_Crack!_

The rocky platform supporting Merlin gave way and fell down into the raging water below. Water spurted up a couple of metres from the large splash. Merlin's feet dangled dangerously in the air. The force from the warlock's slight fall must have caused the rock to break.

"Merlin! Hang on! I've got you!" shouted Arthur. All confidence had now left him.

_Crack._

"Well, I don't really have much of a choice but to hang, do I?" said Merlin fearfully – although, his face still held a slight smile.

The part of the cliff that Arthur was kneeling on was slowly beginning to give way too.

Merlin shook his head. "No, Arthur." he paused, "I do have a choice. Forget about me! Let go! The cliff cannot support the both of us!" he said loudly. It was either himself _or_ him _and _the prince.

"Stop being obstinate, Merlin. Let me help you –"

_Crack._

"I'm letting go now, Arthur." all of Merlin's fear had now left him, "Thank you for being a good friend and I know one day you're going to be a great king. People will remember you for centuries to come. Good bye Arthur –"

"Stop being stupid, Merlin. I won't let you fall." said Arthur exasperatedly.

_Crack. _

"Thank you, Arthur. You are the best friend anyone could ever have." Merlin tried to smile but failed miserably. And then just like that, he ripped his hands from Arthur's firm grip.

"MERLIN!" shouted Arthur at the top of his lungs. He stood up and looked down mournfully to see the rag doll-like body of Merlin just miss the jagged rocks and fall in the white, foaming water.

**Now, that is what I call a cliffhanger. I'm so funny :) **

**Inner voice: No, CoolCarrot. You're not.**

**This isn't a one shot story so that means it isn't the end of Merlin or is it? You can probably work it out from the summary... :D**

**I hope you enjoyed this. I have loads of homework right now. It's test time you see and that means that updates will be delayed. **

**Spells are in Latin. Here are the translations:**

_Liga hominess. = Bind up the men._

**Please review. I really want to know what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2: Rough Rapids

**A/N: Hi again!** **:)**

**I finished my schoolwork like a bullet shot from a gun because I got super hyped up from all the reviews. Yes, 9 reviews does that to me… so imagine if there were 100 :) Unlikely, but what's the harm in imagining? Feel free to try that theory out :D *wink, wink***

**Next chapter might only be next week or more (probably less, I have no idea). Sorry. **

**This next part of the A/N is only about people who alerted, favourited and reviewed so feel free to skip or skim :)**

**Well, I got some real nice reviews and concrit (constructive criticism). A non-signed review whose name is 'CM' gave me good feedback. Since their review wasn't signed I couldn't reply so I'm going to reply here… **

_CM: Yeah… I'm not the best with my punctuation. Sorry, but I'll try my best and keep working at it. Also, I did think that this story was lacking a lot of description but ideas just weren't coming to me… I'll try and make it as descriptive as I can this chapter because I'm now fired up from your review and others. Thanks._

**Also, I'll reply to another non-signed review…**

_Fan: Sorry about the cliffhanger but I just couldn't resist! It worked well literally and figuratively speaking. This chapter should be better in a writing/descriptive/punctuation/grammar/spelling way. And maybe even the plot way too. Thanks._

**And for those of you feeling lonely, thank you to (this list is in no certain order except for the first person coz they're awesome):**

**- Kratos-god-slayer-101 – **for being awesome as always!

**- laughsalot12 – **for reviewing and alerting

**- fortheloveofcamelot – **for reviewing

**- Ruby890 – **forreviewing and alerting

**- fernazab – **for alerting

**- Bluebellbird – **forreviewing and alerting

**- DammitimmaD – **for reviewing

**- Ichigo'sDragon – **for favouriting, alerting and reviewing

**- pickup21 – **for alerting

**- lilyflower1345 – **for alerting

- **White-moon-Xx – **for alerting and favouriting

**- LizzyLupin1 – **for alerting

**- LillyJones – **for favouriting

**- MoonlitIvy – **for favouriting

**- dddead – **for alerting

**- Michi-chan2 – **for alerting

**- Seagirl90 – **for favouriting

**- Becka73 – **for alerting

**- momo9momo – **for favouriting

**- Micah Eruviel – **for alerting

**- Defyinglogic13 – **for alerting

**- JoyScott13 – **for alerting

**- Alidavis – **for alerting

**- horsegirl332211 – **for alerting

**- happy-reader007 – **for alerting

**- moonchild08 – **for alerting

**- Avia Jenith – **for alerting

**Now that is what I call a very nice list all for ch 1 ;)**

**Now, moving on….**

**Here's the next chapter :)**

**Chapter Two: Rough Rapids**

"Good bye and thank you, Arthur. You are the best friend anyone could ever have." Merlin tried his best to smile but failed miserably. And then just like that, he ripped his hands from Arthur's firm grip.

"MERLIN!" shouted Arthur at the top of his lungs. He stood up and looked down mournfully to see the body of the warlock just miss the jagged rocks and fall in the white, foaming water 50 feet below.

The river's water enveloped the man's body like fire consuming dry leaves. Very quickly Merlin's body had disappeared from sight.

Arthur closed his eyes miserably.

He was gone. Merlin was gone. Sorrow and despair hit the prince hard. The warlock was Arthur's only true friend. He didn't use Arthur the Prince for personal gain like riches or wealth. He stuck by Arthur's side willingly, as a friend. The man always went voluntarily into battles and quests with the prince, wearing no armour whatsoever. Merlin _was_ and always _will _always _be _the best friend Arthur ever had.

The prince opened his eyes slowly; he looked stared down at the river. There, he saw the skinny figure of his friend surfacing the water at least 15 feet down the waterway.

Merlin was still alive and kicking, literally.

He was trying desperately to fight the strong currents of the river. He kicked and flapped his arms around frantically.

This came as happiness and horror to Arthur. It was absolute joy because Merlin was still alive; his best friend wasn't dead! But it also came as dismay because of the way the man was moving. If he kept that amount of movement up, the warlock would soon be too tired to keep himself afloat, eventually causing him to drown.

Those rapids were also very strong and were carrying Merlin away quickly. Soon enough, the river would be likely to cause the warlock to drown from exhaustion, smash him hard into rocks or worse… Bring the man to a large and powerful waterfall, which would be unavoidable once too close.

Arthur had to do something. Merlin couldn't get out of this alone.

Adrenaline was rushing through the prince's body. His heart was beating fast as he felt a strange sensation run through his torso and limbs. The warm feeling started in his stomach and began moving itself through his arms and legs. It came in tingling waves.

Without even thinking what he was doing, Arthur jumped.

He felt the cold air rush through him. The prince tried to take a breath but found he couldn't. His lungs didn't seem to cooperate with him as he fell.

_Splash! _

The water hit Arthur like daggers. It was freezing cold! The prince hurriedly swam up and broke the surface of the river. He filled his lungs with huge gulps of air. It had never felt so good to breathe.

When Arthur tried to look around, everything was blurry, his eyes had yet to adjust to their surroundings. Somehow he had to get to his friend but that was proving difficult since his clothes felt like large sacks of sand. They were soaked through and weighing him down enormously.

The prince swept a cold hand through his wet hair, pulling the obscuring strands from his vision. He also rubbed his eyes several times. Everything was much clearer now.

Arthur quickly surveyed the area for a raven-haired head. Metres along in the distance, he could see his friend. The prince swam fast with the currents, quickly making his way towards the tired servant. Occasionally, white water covered the blond and blurred his vision slowing him down.

"Mer–" Arthur tried to shout the boy's name over the loud white water. He wanted to tell him that he was coming but was cut off almost every time. The last parts of his sentences nearly always ended up turning into coughs, splutters or gurgles.

Unfortunately, over the roar of water, Merlin didn't hear Arthur's call. Wait a minute, roar of water? That could only mean one thing… A waterfall, and by the sound of it, it seemed like a really powerful and huge one.

Arthur was feeling very tired, but he continued forcing himself to keep going. Merlin needed him. The scary thing was that if the prince was tired, then the warlock would most likely be exhausted because he'd been in longer and wasn't all that great at physical things.

_C'mon Arthur, you can do it. Just a little bit further, do it for, Merlin._ The warlock's bobbing brunette-haired head could be seen coming closer with every kick and stroke the prince made.

_Nearly there… Hang on. Where'd Merlin go?_ The servant had disappeared from sight.

"Merlin!" shouted Arthur loudly. He swam as fast as he could, diving underneath the water where he'd seen the man last. He couldn't glimpse anything at all though; the water was dark and musky. The prince would have to let his other senses find the warlock. Arthur groped around until his fingers finally brushed something. It was a hand, Merlin's hand.

_Got you._

Arthur gripped onto it and pulled the boy's unconscious form up to his level. He wrapped his arms toghtly around the servant's chest and surfaced taking in deep breaths. One thing worried the prince immensely though, Merlin's breathing was extremely shallow.

The roar of the waterfall was increasingly becoming louder and louder as well. He had to get out of this river _now_.

As Arthur drifted down the river, he saw a rough rock up ahead on the right, which looked good for gripping onto. It was also close to a grassy bank leading into what looked like a forest as the rocky cliff had ended metres back.

Arthur let go of Merlin with one arm so he could ultimately use the hand for hauling himself to a stop.

As soon as the prince was about to pass it, he stuck his hand out and grabbled around for a secure hold. Once he found one, he heaved himself toward the dark, wet boulder accidentally slicing the palm of his right hand open. Arthur ignored the pain; his friend came first right now.

When Merlin and his body's sides were finally pressed against the rock, the prince began talking softly to the warlock. "Merlin, I need you to stay with me." he tried to keep his voice confident just in case the man could hear.

When Merlin didn't respond Arthur gently nudged the man's side against the rock using his body. "Please, Merlin."

Unexpectedly, his servant's eyes miraculously fluttered slightly open and strangely revealed golden irises but as quickly as his eyes opened, they shut again.

Arthur looked in confusion at Merlin. Only sorcerers had eyes like that. But Merlin wasn't a sorcerer. Arthur guessed that he was probably just hallucinating from the cold.

Then, all of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew and strangely began slowing down the motion of the river. Everything seemed to slow down significantly, even the loud roar of the waterfall.

Sure, Arthur didn't like the peculiarity of the situation but he used it to his advantage anyway.

The prince let go of the rock, turned over and swam on his back pulling Merlin along with him. Soon enough he had reached the riverbank. He put a hand on the very edge of it and steadily, Arthur pulled himself and his friend to the grassy shore.

Arthur wanted rest really badly but he couldn't. He needed to get the servant warm or else he was going to get sick or worse – die of hypothermia.

The prince quickly went into the forest behind the riverbank and returned five minutes later with some tinder, kindling and thick sticks. He set to work with the wood; small flames soon formed.

After Arthur was totally satisfied with the fire, he went over to the warlock and pulled him close to the heat.

"So c-c-cold…." stuttered Merlin quietly with his eyes closed. Well, that was a good sign. The man was responding to his surroundings again. The prince needed his friend to stay with him for a little longer. The warmth would be emanating well from the fire by then.

Arthur wasn't feeling the low temperatures as much as the warlock. This was because he was almost completely numb and his body held an extra layer of fat while Merlin was just about skin and bones.

"Merlin?" asked Arthur. He kneeled down before the boy, realising that he was still unconscious and only talking subconsciously.

The prince needed the fire to gain some more heat fast. Right now, the flames were still small. Arthur jumped up from where he was kneeling and went over to his newly aquired wood collection. He threw another one onto the fire.

When he sat back down next to Merlin, something made his heart stop. Merlin's chest wasn't moving. Arthur quickly took a hold of the boy's wrist; there was still a weak pulse. There was still time.

"Merlin!" he shouted as he slapped the boy firmly across the cheek. "You can't – don't leave me!" The warlock's face was a nasty pasty colour. His high cheekbones seemed more prominent than usual and there was a small gap between his slightly blue tinged lips.

_No, no, no, no. This can't be happening._

Merlin was suffering from severe hypothermia and was minutes away from dying. Arthur didn't need to be a physician to know that.

The boy needed heat; he needed it now. Arthur decided to do the last thing he could think of, and that was body heat.

The prince immediately picked up the limp boy and held him close to his chest. "Come on, Merlin." he said softly. "We've been through so much together, you can't die now." He stroked a bloody hand through his friend's thick hair. Tears swelled up in Arthur's eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, Merlin was his best friend. Why had he taken the boy so for granted?

He placed his fingers on the warlock's cold wrist again. No pulse. Arthur knew that the human body could only survive a few minutes without a beating heart. The brain couldn't survive long without air; he'd learnt that from _Merlin. _The man was a ward of the Court Physician after all.

"Come on, Merlin!" Arthur placed a hand on the warlock's chest as he held the boy in his arms. "Breath, god dammit! Breath!" Tears flowed freely down his flushed cheeks. He removed his hand from the man's chest and cradled him closely. Arthur held his arms tightly around the unmoving figure. He pressed his left cheek into soaked raven-hair.

"Ahh... How touching." came the familiar deep voice of a person Arthur knew only to well. Immediately, the prince's sorrow was mixed with anger. He did this to Merlin; they wouldn't have been running and forced to hide – which resulted in Merlin falling into the rapids – if it weren't for the Areltorians. If it weren't for Ryrren…

"What are you doing here?" asked Arthur heatedly as he spun around on the balls of his feet, in a crouching position. He continued clutching Merlin close to him. His tears had now stopped. The prince stared with pure hatred as he looked at the man before him.

"I am simply retrieving what was mine." said the blond with a small smirk on his face.

"We are not yours!" spat Arthur aggressively.

"Temper, temper, young prince." said Ryrren tapping his foot on the ground and shaking his head.

"Haven't you already done enough? Look at him! You did this to Merlin!" shouted Arthur as he gestured slightly toward the boy cradled in his arms.

"Merlin chose to do what he did. He could have saved himself but chose not too." said Ryrren calmly.

Arthur's face changed from anger to confusion. _What on Earth is this guy talking about? How could Merlin have saved himself?_

"Ahh… So you don't know, do you? Well, how could you? You wouldn't be here if you knew."

_What is Ryrren going on about?_ _He's probably just enjoying mocking me.._.

"I don't have time for this, and neither does Merlin." said Arthur harshly.

"Well, okay then…," Ryrren turned around and began walking away – he had to make this work. He just needed to put on a persuasive act. The plan he'd thought of would work perfectly. Ryrren halted all of a sudden and spun around to face the prince once more. "I can heal Merlin you know." he said with a twisted smile on his lips.

"You will not lay a finger on him." said Arthur fiercely. He would not have a magic-user touch Merlin.

"Fine then, let your beloved manservant die." Ryrren said coldly, hoping that his words would change the prince's mind.

_No_. Arthur couldn't be that stubborn. If magic were the only way to save Merlin, then so be it.

"Save him…" said Arthur grimly. "But if you dare… If you dare –"

"Yes, yes, I get it," Ryrren snapped. "Do you want him healed or not?"

"Healed." as Arthur said that word, an evil grin formed itself on the blond twin's face but as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

"Then consider it done." said Ryrren loudly. "Lay, Merlin down on the grass." he ordered.

Arthur did what he was told and put Merlin gently on the ground.

"Now step back." Arthur took a pace backward and Ryrren walked over to Merlin. He kneeled down next to him and put a hand over his heart.

Arthur held his breath as the man started to speak the language forbidden in Camelot. His eyes were golden as he chanted. "Hic vivet et non morietur." he paused, "Merlin mos vivamus. Merlin's magicae mos infirmus sit!" Ryrren's eyes changed back to their emerald colour and he removed his hand from Merlin's chest.

These few moments seemed to be the most stressful of Arthur's life. He was putting Merlin's life in the hands of someone who tried to kidnap them earlier today. _Today_.

Arthur could hardly believe how slow today had been. It felt like a week since he and Merlin had met the Areltorians.

The prince was soon brought out of his thoughts when he heard a groan. A groan that came from Merlin.

Nothing happened at first but then Merlin's eyes slowly fluttered open.

He felt so heavy and wet. Why was he wet? The warlock's vision was blurry at first. All he could see was the outline of someone standing over him. It looked like, Arthur. The person was definitely a man and he had blond hair.

Suddenly, the man came into clear focus and as Merlin stared into those cold green eyes, only then did he begin to remember everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

"What the hell?" shouted Merlin suddenly alarmed. "What have you done to me, you … you, pickle-eyed twat-freak?" he said saying the first offending thing that came to his mind.

"Is that the thanks I get for saving your life?" asked Ryrren frostily.

"Well, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you!" he shouted angrily.

"Yes, that may be so, but I didn't have to save your life just now, you know." he paused, "I did it willingly for _Arth-ur_." Ryrren said the syllables in Arthur's name very slowly.

"What have you done to him?" asked Merlin accusingly.

"I'm right here, Merlin." The warlock turned his head toward the prince and as soon as he looked into those sapphire eyes, he gave a huge smile.

"Thank god you're alright!"

"No, Merlin. Thank goodness you're alright," he paused, "What in the world were you thinking – letting yourself fall down like that. You could have died –"

"Once you two have finished your little chat, I'd like to say a small something..." said Ryrren impatiently.

"Go on..." said Arthur curiously but with suspicion all the same. He narrowed his eyes down on the blond twin.

"Liga hominess et tantum mea magicae potest frangere eos." said Ryrren loudly. His eyes flashed gold and rough ropes suddenly came out of nowhere like before. They began tying themselves roughly around Merlin and Arthur.

"What do you think you're doing?" shouted the prince.

"Did you really believe I just came here to help you?" Ryrren paused, "Nunc, fac eos dormi dreamlessly."

And as soon as Ryrren said those words, all went black for Merlin and Arthur.

**Another cliff-hanger! Sorry, couldn't resist … again. And I hope this chapter was a bit better. :D**

**It was so hard to figure out a way to save Merlin's life… I wanted to use CPR on him but then realised I couldn't because it hadn't been invented yet. I then noticed that the only way to really save Merlin was through the use of magic so I brought Ryrren into the picture again… And what do you know? It turned out even better than I imagined. 3:)**

**Read the translations, you'll learn a lot and maybe even where the story will go :)**

**Translations (Latin to English):**

_Hic vivet et non morietur. = Here he shall live and not die._

_Merlin mos vivamus. = Merlin will live._

_Merlin's magicae mos infirmus sit. = Merlin's magic will be weak._

_Liga hominess et tantum mea magicae potest frangere eos. = Bind up these men and only my magic can break the binds. _

_Nunc, fac eos dormi dreamlessly. = Now, make them sleep dreamlessly._

**Now please review. They make me type so much faster!**


	3. Chapter 3: Rigorous Ryrren

**A/N: Hello to all!**

**I'm sorry … why might you ask? Because I haven't updated in a while... **** I've been 'uber busy.**

**I'm also sorry because you will probably only get the next update of this story a bit less than a month from now. I'll be going somewhere, where there is no internet. But there is a thing called a note pad and pen. Therefore, I will be writing more chapters and will be able to update very fast when I get back. :)**

**Now, thank you to all my ever so faithful reviewers, alerters and favouriters. Since I have got so many reviews, alerts and favourites, I'll only thank the reviewers today.**

**Thank you to the following reviewers for reviewing in chapter two…**

**Kratos-god-slayer-101, zammierox, hazelbunny, Jellyhair, ruby890, ArodieltheElfofRohan, Maddiethevampire, fortheloveofcamelot, sofia, Ichigo'sDragon, Kitty O, happy-rea and Blue.**

**You're awesome ^^ **

**Now please read and tell me what you think. :)**

**Chapter Three: Rigorous Ryrren**

**Previously, on **_**The Repercussions of Being Ransomed**_**…**

"Liga hominess et tantum mea magicae potest frangere eos!" shouted Ryrren as his eyes flashed gold. Rough ropes suddenly came out of nowhere and began tying themselves around Merlin and Arthur.

"What do you think you're doing?" shouted Arthur.

"Did you really believe I just came here to help you?" Ryrren paused, "Nunc, fac eos dormi dreamlessly."

And as soon as Ryrren said those words, all went black for Merlin and Arthur.

**-(I~I)-**

**Presently...  
**

There was a pounding ache in his head and it was very painful. It felt like knifes were carving into the inside of his cranium. It also felt like he was missing something, something important. It was still there, but weak. Very weak, what was it?

Merlin's eyes fluttered open slowly and he suddenly began to remember everything once again.

_Ryrren… _he growled mentally.

As Merlin looked around, he saw that where he was, was very dim. The dark, rough walls seemed to arch up and meet each other 16 feet off the ground. Merlin was in a large cave.

When the warlock tried to stand up, he groaned in pain and quickly relaxed his back, back against the cave wall, settling into the position he was in moments ago. He tried to move his hands but then realised that he couldn't. They were bound with ropes tightly behind himself.

_I wonder where Arthur is… _thought Merlin. _Arthur! Where is he?_ he was suddenly alarmed now. The warlock was doing a very bad job of protecting Arthur; in fact, it seemed the prince had been protecting _him_ more.

"Arthur!" he called out which didn't do much good right now because his voice was hoarse and weak from not being used recently.

_No reply. _

"Arthur!" he tried shouting again anyway. It made him feel like he was doing something to help, even though it wasn't very productive.

When Merlin shouted that time there wasn't just silence in response to his calls but some quite footsteps that seemed to be slowly making their way towards him.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to wake up," It was Ryrren. Who else would it be? It seemed he liked to appear in mysterious places just for the heck of it. "Have a good sleep?" he asked jeeringly.

"Where's Arthur?" asked Merlin ignoring Ryrren.

"You're not nearly as fun to talk to, like your dear prince is. He gets irritated _so_ easily." Ryrren smirked.

"Where's Arthur?" repeated Merlin but a little more forcefully.

"Determined, aren't we? Arthur is … let's say he's just been questioned on a few things..." he replied enigmatically.

"Tell me where he is." said Merlin in a serious tone. He hissed each work slowly and sharply.

"You have no right to use that tone with me!" Ryrren replied harshly.

"So you're my mother now, are you pickle-eyes?" asked Merlin mockingly.

"Shut up!" Ryrren shouted fiercely. He then began to speak quickly and quietly underneath his breath. "No one ever speaks of my mother in vain."

It appeared that Ryrren was just projecting himself onto Arthur because he seemed to lose his temper faster than the prince without dinner. Merlin almost gave a smirk at his thoughts. Ryrren and Arthur were actually alike in many ways.

"Ryrren?" asked a familiar husky voice, which Merlin just couldn't seem to put his finger on. "What's going on down here?" the leader of the Areltorians, Althadrel came into focus as he spoke.

"Speaking with the prisoner, _father_." said Ryrren in his normal, calm voice.

Thoughts rushed into the young warlock's head. _Father? This man is Ryrren's father? They look hardly anything alike… _Merlin was bewildered. _He must have mostly his mother in him – and Edmund too, except he does have a similar hair-colour to Althadrel... I wonder where their mother is…_

"Are you sure? Why did I hear shouting in here, then?" questioned Althadrel.

"The prisoner and I had a disagreement…" he trailed off. Ryrren cringed a bit and spoke in a tone, which sounded like he dreaded uttering what he'd just said.

Merlin thought it was actually pretty funny to see the blond like this; usually no one overpowered Ryrren in this way. He looked scared; the face just didn't suit him.

"A disagreement with the prisoner?" Althadrel's calm face changed into an angered one. "What have I told you about showing weakness boy? You are _always_ in command of the prisoner, you got that?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, father." said Ryrren coldly as his body relaxed in defeat.

"Good." he said with his usual voice and then paused before speaking quietly, "Now, he still hasn't given us answers... It seems like nothing will make him talk." Althadrel spoke the last sentence unhappily and in an extremely low voice.

"Who's _'him'_?" interjected Merlin who had been listening carefully to Althadrel and Ryrren's conversation even though the leader of the Areltorians was speaking in a muffled voice.

Merlin had a pretty good idea of who _'him'_ was and if the young warlock wanted to fulfil his destiny, then he would have to try and work out where and what was happening to Arthur.

"Quiet, boy!" shouted Althadrel suddenly and fiercely. That was one thing Ryrren and his father had in common – getting aggressive unpredictably. Althadrel then continued, "Only speak when you are asked questions, otherwise remain silent." his tone was still loud and forceful.

Merlin began talking in a firm voice again. "No. I want you to tell me where he is now –"

"Speak your mind once more and we'll _hurt your prince_." said Ryrren coming unexpectedly into the dispute between his father and the warlock.

Merlin didn't say anything after he heard those last few words, _'hurt your prince'_. He wouldn't have anyone hurting Arthur if he could help it. And, after all, it _is _his destiny.

Ryrren smirked. Controlling Merlin and the Arthur could actually be a lot easier than he first thought. Hurt one warlock and you hurt one certain prince. Hurt one prince and you hurt one certain warlock. Their weaknesses were each other and it seemed that it wasn't ever going to change.

**-(I~I)-**

"I've already told you, I don't know." said a voice sounding strong and determined but was really actually very scared on the inside. He didn't look into his assailant's cold eyes as he spoke; he didn't want this man to see his fear that was circulating though him. Instead he held his turned head at the dark, rocky wall of the cave.

"Then be prepared to suffer the repercussions –" the young man tensed, closed his eyes and gripped onto his rough shackles, locked at his wrists, for some extra support. His feet were touching the ground but with all his injuries it was easier just to slump against the cave wall. The only time he ever stood up properly was when he was being tortured.

He now was once again ready for what this man, sent from hell, was going to do next. He was already bruised and had cuts all over his body. His blond hair was slick with sweat but his main injuries consisted of a long bloody gash running down his left side and a few large burns on his sweaty, shirtless torso – all created through the use of magic. The injured man kept his eyes shut; he was ready for what was going to come.

Just as the man who worked for the Areltorians was about to say his next spell, which would torture the young, muscled body immensely once more, someone strode into view. The one and only, Ryrren, who else?

"Has he given us any answers yet?" asked Ryrren authoritively not looking into the torturer's eyes but staring into the one's who was been tortured.

"No, none." the deep voice replied gruffly.

"Then I guess we will have to put another plan into action, hmm?" said Ryrren mysteriously. He gazed swiftly at the torturer.

"I would say so, but what is this plan?" asked the torturer confused.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough…" Ryrren paused. "Leave us." he commanded.

The big, burly man who wore the same black robes as all, soon made his way out of the open cave entrance and into a dark area in which the young, tortured man couldn't see to.

"Now, Arthur… Tell me everything I want to know, or you will get hurt even worse than before." said the blond twin in a loud voice.

"Nothing you say or do can convince me to tell you why we always win our battles from magical threats and armies, because I don't know." said Arthur truthfully.

"So you still won't tell us…" Ryrren trailed off. "Even if your dear manservant was involved?" he asked with an evil grin shown on his face.

"You leave Merlin out of this." stated Arthur protectively.

"Only if you cooperate." negotiated Ryrren.

"Wait a minute, you're lying. Merlin probably isn't even here." said Arthur suspiciously.

"Are you willing to put that theory to test?" Ryrren paused. "Fac Merlin dolor." he said nonchalantly and his eyes flashed molten gold.

As the question of what Ryrren had just said crept into Arthur's thoughts, it was suddenly answered with a distant scream. A scream that came from a person in a lot of pain; a lot of agonising pain it seemed. The scream was definitely made by a male; the cry sounded familiar. It sounded like … Merlin's scream.

Realisation hit Arthur like a slap in the face. _Merlin! _he thought in panic, to shocked to speak.

"Merlin!" he shouted loudly, words coming back to him. When no response came, he glared hatefully into Ryrren's eyes. "What have, you done, to Merlin." he hissed each two words with a pause in between.

"Oh, I've done nothing prince," Ryrren paused. "This is all of your doing. All you have to do is tell us what we want to know and then yourself and Merlin will be freed."

"I've already told you. I don't know!" The last part of Arthur's words came out higher and more concerned than what was meant.

"Then Merlin will die a slow and painful death. It's your choice Arthur." the blond twin paused again. "Fac Merlin dolor." he hissed the spell loudly and his eyes flashed gold – it obviously inflicted even more pain on Merlin than before though because the scream went on for longer and was louder.

"Merlin!" Arthur paused. "MERLIN!"

A smirk twisted itself onto Ryrren's lips. "Oh, he can't hear you… My magic is channelling though him and it is what's keeping him alive, what's keeping his _heart beating._ But it is also causing, Merlin, pain upon my will."

"You are lying. You are making me hear a fake scream. It's your magic." accused Arthur.

"No, no and yes," Ryrren paused. "One out of three, not too bad…" The twin examined his nails, pouting in an effortlessness manner.

"Liar." Arthur said coldly.

"Your obstinacy amuses me." Ryrren continued smirking; when Arthur said nothing in response, he continued. "It's your choice. Let Merlin die or give me the answers I want."

"How can I hear Merlin if he can't hear me?" asked Arthur suspiciously whilst ignoring Ryrren.

"Because, I am choosing to let you hear him right now. With my magic, I can transfer Merlin's screams to us without him even being here," Ryrren smiled wickedly. "Thanks for letting me save Merlin's life, it lets my magic flow right through him, you know…" he remarked in a sarcastic tone but still meant every word. "Oh right, I already told you that… I just can't get over how well this worked out." he smiled.

"Shut up." said Arthur because he couldn't think of any better words to use.

Ryrren ignored him and continued speaking. "I can just click my fingers," the twin raised his left hand and Arthur looked at it with horror. What was Ryrren going to do to him? Or worse … Merlin.

The prince broke from his thoughts. "No." Arthur said stubbornly. He refused to believe this man.

Ryrren continued with his hand still suspended in the same spot. "And your manservant can be gone –" he paused, clicked his fingers and brought his arm next to his side, "Just like that."

**-(I~I)-**

After Ryrren had told Merlin that he couldn't speak anymore, the boy had shut up and soon after that, the _'evil twin' _(as Merlin liked to call him) had suddenly turned on his heel and walked away.

Merlin being Merlin most likely would have questioned Ryrren on where he was going, even though it would do no good, but since the blond had threatened to hurt Arthur, Merlin had vowed to himself not to speak another word unless it was completely necessary.

_I wonder where Arthur is… _thought Merlin again. _I have to get to him, but how…_

Then it came to the not-so-mere serving boy. _I am a warlock… So that means I have magic._ Merlin would have slapped his forehead from forgetting he had magic but since his hands were bound, it seemed that wasn't going to happen.

Since he was _so _used to hiding and not using his magic, he'd almost failed to remember that he had the power to get out of his binds and reach Arthur… or did he?

"Solvam funes." whispered Merlin but when his eyes flashed a light gold, all he felt was an agonising pain take off in is head – no ropes being unbound. The warlock started twisting hysterically in his binds – no sound came from him, it was too painful to waste his breath on screams.

He also didn't want anyone to get satisfaction from what they'd done to him. The pain felt like when he'd woken up earlier – but less like knives carving into his cranium and more like a stampede or horses all trampling on his head as they galloped.

This pain only lasted for several seconds but for what Merlin felt, it could have lasted a lifetime.

"Solvam funes." he just managed to choke the words out in a normal tone because of his haggard breathing pattern and his eyes flashed a weak, coloured gold again.

Merlin still wasn't rewarded with the pleasure of losing his restraints but instead a pain much worse than before. The pain didn't only come for his head but for his entire body.

He felt sharp, painful throbs explode in his torso and limbs, like knives were stabbing him repeatedly. His skin felt as if it were lit alight. Merlin let out a harsh scream. It was too hard to control his voice, something bad was happening. The pain running through him then suddenly decreased and Merlin sighed in relief.

It was all his imagination, or so he thought… None of what he'd experienced had actually happened. It was all in his mind. Merlin didn't really care how it had happened; now all he wanted to do was rest.

But unfortunately for Merlin, that wasn't going to happen. Suddenly, the warlock felt the pain burn up through him again but much more violently – it felt as if the pain had been amplified a hundred times worse than before.

Merlin began screaming louder than ever, the pain was unbearably excruciating. There was no way to get out of it. He could feel someone's magic pulsing through him, but who was controlling the agony?

It felt as if someone was cutting through his feet with a knife, and then slicing through his arms and legs until finally the knife moved to his stomach and began stabbing him repeatedly.

The knives then turned to fire; it was like someone had tied him to the pyre and had then lit it with flames. There was no escape; the boy had to endure the agonising pain as it came. Merlin felt the hot flames licking harshly around him. They engulfed his entire body, choking him in a hot blanket of air, which someone was suffocating him with.

The most awful thing was that in a real situation, whoever was being set on fire would eventually go unconscious from all of the smoke, pain, or damage to the body. But this was different.

There was no bliss from unconsciousness coming Merlin's way. Only pure torture. Pure, agonising pain.

It was also atrocious because there was no way to break away from the torment. He was too dizzy and light-headed to create a spell, and his magic hadn't even worked earlier either. It wasn't worth the effort.

Merlin felt exhausted but something wasn't letting him give in to the anguish. Just when the warlock thought that he couldn't take any more of the suffering, or else he'd go mad, the pain stopped.

He tried to gulp down plenty of fresh air, but his lungs were not cooperating with his brain. Whenever he did manage to inhale, it felt as if the air had gone straight down his throat and into a pit of nothingness. Merlin couldn't feel the joy of been able to breathe.

As Merlin gasped for breath everything slowly began to grow dark. The cave wall in front of him began to swirl and twist around. Up felt like down, left felt like right and vice versa. Merlin felt like he'd float up and away any second now. Before he could think anymore, all the dizziness left him and twisted into darkness.

All had turned black for Merlin.

**Sorry for the cliffhanger guys… I just love them so much!**

**Oooh, I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh on Merlin or a bit **_**too **_**descriptive this time. I wanted to be meaner but thought he'd suffered enough pain… Tell me what you think.**

**Translations (Latin to English… and yes, I know my Latin is wrong. You weren't meant to notice! It was supposed to make me look smart, not stupid! :P Let's just say that it's half Latin and half my own made up language. That is why the translations are necessary or you'd have no clue. So I'll call it Larrot. Half Latin, half CoolCarrot).**

**Therefore the translations are now known as, Larrot to English:**

_Fac Merlin dolor. = Make Merlin pain._

_Solvam funes. = Untie the ropes._

**Please review. I want feedback and awesomeness. If I hadn't gotten a review from someone about my descriptiveness, then my story would hardly have any interesting words… So review people!**


	4. Chapter 4: Merlin, Arthur and Ryrren

**A/N: Okay, it's been a month… I think? I dunno when I last hopped on and updated… Well, the point is, I'm sorry. I was only able to write ONE chapter! One! And that one is this one. I had loads of homework. I still haven't finished it. I thought that the point of holidays was to actually have a holiday. Not spending the entire time on the computer… /: **

**I won't have mentions this chapter but most probably next chapter.**

**PLEASE READ: **_** I've drawn a picture of Ryrren. I reckon he looks pretty nifty since I'm not the best artist. I tried to draw him how I imagined the guy but unfortunately it didn't turn out exactly right… His hair looks like that vampire, Jasper from twilight (didn't mean it obviously). Also, he looks like a frigging – pardon my French – dark sith lord if any of you peeps have seen Starwars. I didn't mean that either… **_

_**Anyway, can you please tell me what you think? I'd appreciate if you went to go look at the picture first and then read the story. That way you can review the story and pic after. :) Or can you review it on the website? I'm pretty sure it will let you without signing up or subscribing. Let's see how kind the website is, eh?**_

_**Now, please go to my profile for the link to see Ryrren. **_

**And just before I let you read, I just want to say this – Merlin and Arthur are finally going to see each other! With our favourite Ryrren there!**

**Now ****run**** read along my faithful readers and enjoy the story I've created :)  
**

**Chapter Four: Merlin & Arthur and Ryrren of Course**

**********Previously, on **_**The Repercussions of Being Ransomed**_**…**

Ryrren ignored him and continued speaking. "I can just click my fingers," the twin raised his left hand and Arthur stared at it with horror. What was Ryrren going to do to him? Or worse … Merlin.

The prince broke from his thoughts. "No." Arthur said stubbornly. He refused to believe this man.

Ryrren continued with his hand still suspended in the same spot. "And your manservant can be gone –" he paused and clicked his fingers and brought his arm next to his side, "Just like that."

**-(I~I)-**

**Presently...**

"What have you done?" shouted Arthur furiously. He lunged forward at Ryrren but his restraints held him back.

"I did nothing, prince. The magic is all in the other hand…," he paused. "Or with this hand, I suppose," he gestured the hand, he'd just snapped. "I could have used my magic if I'd chosen too. Don't you see how easy it is for me to kill Merlin?"

Arthur had no words for the anger coursing through his veins right now.

"Well, it seems you're not ready to give me answers yet so I'm going to just let you dwell here for a while and then I can go and give your friend a visit. See how he's doing, you know?" said Ryrren mysteriously in a relaxed voice.

"Keep your hands off him. He doesn't deserve this." said Arthur fiercely.

"Or maybe he does prince, or maybe he does…." Ryrren trailed off in his speech as he began walking away from Arthur and eventually out of view.

**-(I~I)-**

He was safe inside stone walls, or so he thought. He could see the cheerful people of Camelot celebrating, nobles and peasants alike. The faces of the happy people were not clear though, they were blurred; so he could hardly tell who was who. The sun was bright and touched everything from the cold cobblestone ground, to the joyful people running around.

Camelot was filled with brilliant colours that ran through the castle's courtyard, covering nearly every inch of stone wall; the vibrant colours consisted mostly of red and gold.

Men, women and children were embracing merrily whilst flushed knights and guards gulped down a further tankard of mead along with other beverages. They sang joyful songs with all their arms swung around one another, like a big happy family. Groups of people were also dancing to some simple but cheery music.

Everyone seemed to be in high spirits as they celebrated, everyone except one. Everyone 'oohed' and 'ahhed' as dancers leaped in the air and did magnificent flips, everyone except one.

I looked up and saw a hooded man. He was crouching down on a high fortification, almost completely hidden behind the crenelated wall; he held a crossbow in his hand by his side.

I squinted to try to see who this man was but all I could see was some short blond hair, which unintentionally escaped the veil of his black hood.

This man then moved his crossbow in front of him; he held it through a notch in the wall. The man aimed it toward the middle of the stone ground with careful intentions; I began to move my eyes to the target he aimed for. I needed to know, something in me had to know who he was seeking.

As my eyes reached this man's target, horror filled me. I saw a muscular man with blond hair; a man who had great significance in many people's lives. This man was going to kill my friend, my prince, my master, my destiny. This man was aiming for Arthur.

"Arthur!" Merlin woke up gasping. He looked around himself and saw dark, cold walls. He realised he was still in the cave. Thank goodness, it was only just a dream.

"Since I met you, every time I've gone to visit you again, you've always been unconscious." Ryrren smirked.

"And you know, every time I've woken up since I met you, you've always unfortunately been the first I've seen." countered Merlin glumly as he stared up into the twin's cold, green eyes. Ryrren was still wearing the same clothes he always wore, which consisted of black robes and a sash that was tied from the front.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Ryrren.

"I've had better." spat Merlin, he was sick of Ryrren's little, lighthearted talks. He spoke like nothing mattered – although everything he uttered was apart of a very important matter to both the warlock and prince.

"Getting angry already, are we?" he asked mockingly. It seemed Ryrren was getting more annoying everyday. When Merlin had first met him, he seemed like a person who didn't really know what he was doing.

"Just leave me alone, Ryrren," moaned Merlin. "And bring some food will you?" The warlock had only just realised how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten in days; how couldn't he have noticed? He supposed he had been unconscious for a lot of his time with the Areltorians though.

"Yes, of course. How could I've forgotten?" Ryrren snapped his fingers; eyes flashed gold and a bowl of green muck with little white particles floating here and there arrived in front of Merlin. The boy guessed that Ryrren had transported the food from a certain location nearby because food couldn't be created out of thin air. There needed to be a source of where food came from.

"Eat." said Ryrren. Another evil smile crept onto his face. He was going to beat Morgana's smirking-and-smiling-evilly record at this rate.

"Hang on a minute. Firstly, what is _that_?" asked Merlin in a disgusted voice as he stared down at his "food". "And secondly, how the heck am I supposed to eat with my hands tied behind my back?" he looked up at Ryrren and raised his eyebrows quizzically.

"That is your dinner. Sheep brain and intestines which is mixed with many snow peas." he paused. "If you're trying to get me to untie your ropes, it's not going to happen. Find another way to eat the food."

"Will you at least let me eat in peace?" asked Merlin.

"There's no way I'm going to miss out on this." said Ryrren with a smile full of sick amusement.

Merlin knew Ryrren wasn't going to leave so he decided to just get started.

_Better get it over and done with. _thought Merlin. _It probably can't even be half as bad as that troll's potion…._

He looked down at the food, disgust showing on his face. The smell was also horribly rancid, the food smelt off – if it even could go off. Merlin could see that his food was all lumpy as well. He decided to start eating the chunky greenness because it was probably only the snow peas. The white stuff he wasn't too keen on because it was most likely the sheep brain and intestines. This was definitely one of the most unappetising meals he'd ever seen; it didn't even look edible. He shuddered. Why did he have to ask Ryrren for food?

The boy decided to taste his food before consuming it so Merlin closed his eyes, leaned over and poked his tongue into the sloppy green mess. As soon as he made contact, Merlin pulled away gagging. It was absolutely foul; the green lumps definitely didn't taste of peas.

"I'm not going to eat that." stated Merlin even though he expected Ryrren to force him into eating.

"Well, the damage is already done, I suppose," these words shocked Merlin greatly – not only was Ryrren letting him off eating but he was talking about some kind of damage. "you can go hungry." Ryrren clicked his fingers and his eyes flashed gold once again. The bowl of food disappeared from Merlin's sight.

"What do you mean? The damage is already done?" quoted Merlin curiously.

"Your food was laced with a poison that won't kill _you _but will harm your magic. I presume you already know what I'm talking about?" asked Ryrren, he smirked. _Again._

_Harmed my magic? Maybe that's why I couldn't get out of my binds earlier. _thought Merlin in dread. _Right now, I better focus on convincing Ryrren that I don't actually possess any magical gifts._

"What are you talking about? I don't have magic." said Merlin lying.

"Don't lie to me. Edmund told me what you did to him."

Merlin cursed mentally. He should have put a memory enchantment on Edmund. He got too cocky and thought he wouldn't ever see the Areltorians again.

"I don't have magic." stated Merlin again. Well, it was worth a try but it seemed Ryrren wasn't going to be won over today. He clearly would believe his twin brother before listening to a word of Merlin's input.

"Why lie? There's nothing to be ashamed of, unless Arthur doesn't know about your secret…." Ryrren knew that the prince didn't know but he just wanted to torment Merlin for the heck of it.

The warlock tried not to show the horror he was feeling but it seemed that it displayed through him anyway.

Ryrren sensed this. "I think it's time that _we_ go and visit Arthur."

**-(I~I)-**

The prince had been left alone for a while now and he didn't want to sleep incase his captors did something to him when he was unconscious.

Then, out of nowhere, Arthur began to hear the sounds of footsteps coming his way.

He raised his head from resting on his chest and looked ahead of himself to see who would come through that part of the cave.

"Let go of me!" said a voice Arthur recognised well. "I can walk you know!" Could it really be, Merlin?

_Thwump._

"Okay, maybe I can't walk…," That was definitely Merlin. "but could you try and be a little bit gentler?" The two Areltorians' put the servant back on his feet and continued walking.

Arthur finally had sight of who the footsteps came from as they approached through the dark, doorless cave and into the torch lit chamber, in which Arthur was held captive. There, he could see a blindfolded Merlin – wrists bound behind his back –, two unknown Areltorians' holding the boy upright and of course, Ryrren.

"Merlin?" asked Arthur. He knew that Merlin was in front of him but he just wanted to make sure the boy was okay and responded suitably.

"Arthur?" replied Merlin. "Are you alright?"

"I should be fine." said Arthur. He sighed inwardly as he studied the boy's features.

Merlin seemed adequate except for the fact that he looked practically like skin and bones. The boy was already rather skinny but right now, he was extremely scrawny looking. The warlock's cheeks seemed hollow and his clavicles were extremely prominent, poking through his pale skin. His collar bones were usually hidden from the cover of his neckerchief but since that garment was being used as a blindfold right now, the neck of the boy standing before him was on show.

Arthur guessed that Merlin was blindfolded so that he wouldn't know the exact way to where the prince was being held prisoner.

Arthur then continued looking at his manservant. Merlin's dark clothes hung off his body more limply than usual and his belt was loosely clinging to his boney hips. It seemed that the boy hadn't eaten in days and that was probably an accurate statement.

"Remove the prisoner's blind." Ryrren signaled to his accomplices.

Arthur watched as Merlin's red neckerchief was removed from his eyes. At first, Merlin squinted from the flickering light that the torches provided but soon enough the young warlock opened his eyes to a normal size and Arthur stared deeply into them.

Merlin's irises seemed darker than usual – it was as if a huge part of his manservant was gone. Arthur didn't know if he was being superstitious or not but it was told that people could actually tell a lot from looking into the depths of someone's eyes.

It sounded crazy but right now, it felt as if the prince was staring into the sorrowful spirit and soul of his manservant. The window to his emotions and feelings. There seemed to be almost no life in those eyes, something was wrong.

As Arthur gazed into Merlin's eyes, the servant gazed back into his master's. They seemed full of hurt and pain. Merlin's prince seemed almost broken too; it was as if he had been fighting in a war but mentally. Arthur also seemed really tired; there were dark smudges under his eyes which gave that effect away distinctly.

The warlock eventually moved his eyes from Arthur's and began examining his body. Merlin nearly gasped at the sight. Arthur had obviously been tortured. Luckily, it seemed that the torture wasn't all too terrible. Merlin had heard of a torment, in which people broke bones, pulled out teeth and ripped off limbs.

Arthur was chained to the wall from his wrists and thankfully only had physical injuries, which could eventually heal. The damage included some large first degree burns – verging on second –, which were located in places around his sweaty, shirtless torso. He also had a large wound running down his left side and several cuts and bruises. Merlin wondered exactly what the Areltorians did to achieve this gash.

"Chain the servant opposite his prince." Ryrren's loud voice echoed through the cave.

The two, thin, middle aged men dragged Merlin to the wall three metres from Arthur. The taller man with dark untamed hair stripped Merlin of his blue tunic and the shorter black-haired man chained the boy's wrists to the shackles above his head.

When the Areltorians' stepped away, Arthur took a deep breath of horror in. It wasn't the fact that Merlin's torso showed his ribs so significantly or that his skin looked an extremely, unhealthy, pastel colour. No, that wasn't it. It was all the many scars covering him.

There was a rather big one, which was centered on the upper part of his torso. It looked like an old burn and Arthur wondered where it came from; cleaning the prince's dirty socks couldn't have done that. There were also many smaller, thin scars and a larger white mark on the side of his left upper arm. Arthur remembered that one; it was his first battle wound.

The prince didn't want to see what covered the boy's back. A servant wasn't meant to have this many scars. It didn't seem right; on a knight that would seem _okay_ but with Merlin, it was different. For a skinny person like himself, scars just didn't suit the boy. It looked wrong; out of place.

"So _Ar_thur... Are you willing to tell me why Camelot always seems to win battles varying from magical threats to armies; even when the odds are against you?" Ryrren crossed his arms and leaned his back against the wall, which was next to Merlin. The blonde-haired person then turned his head to the right, to face the warlock. "You wouldn't happen to know would you, Merlin?" his expression was casual but the servant could see right through that facade, the boy sensed that Ryrren already knew the answer.

"I've already told you, _Ry_rren. I don't know." said Arthur with full honesty as he ignored the twin's words to Merlin.

"You know, Merlin, Arthur can be a real drag sometimes…."

The warlock didn't respond.

"So since you still haven't told me the answer, I guess you'll have to suffer again." Ryrren stood up properly.

"Do what you want." said Arthur trying to keep his voice from cracking.

"Suit yourself…." The twin placed his hand on his right hip, shoved it under his sash and unsheathed a knife from a hidden scabbard. The blade was about eight inches long and seemed deadly sharp – it looked as if it could slice cleanly with ease through whatever it made contact with. The dagger glinted brightly as the flames coming from the torches flickered.

Ryrren began walking toward Arthur with the blade held out in front him and the prince stared into the twin's cold, green eyes. It couldn't be any worse than what he'd already experienced. The prince also noticed that when Ryrren walked, his stride was extrememly elegant. His feet hardly touched the ground as he walked, no - more like glided. It looked as if he'd been a dancer at some stage of his life, but Arthur found this hard to picture - Ryrren, a dancer? No way. Either that or he was extremely skilled with his balance. Maybe from practicing a lot of fighting? It gave the twin a deadlier look, the look of a dangerous assassin.

As soon as Ryrren was a metre from Arthur, he stopped and swiveled around to face Merlin. He began walking toward the frightened warlock – the dagger still held out in front of him.

"No, Ryrren." said Arthur firmly. "You don't want to do this."

"Oh, but I do," said Ryrren directing his comment to Arthur even though his back was turned on him. "And will!" Ryrren lunged forward at Merlin and stopped short by a couple of inches. The warlock sucked in a deep breath. "Fac Merlin dolor," Ryrren's eyes flashed gold as he whispered the words to the boy in tone Arthur had to strain his ears to hear.

Even though the twin's spell was quiet, the response was instant. Merlin's eyes snapped shut and the boy's body began jerking sharply as he let out an ear piercing shriek of pain. The chains holding Merlin rattled as the boy twitched and shook wildly. Arthur tried to avert his eyes from Merlin's squirming form but couldn't. The young warlock looked like he was suffering in absolute agony. Ryrren must have put a spell on him, which created pain mentally.

Oh, how Arthur would like to hurt Ryrren so badly right now.

Thankfully, it seemed that the spell was beginning to cease because Merlin's rapid movement decreased and his screams started to subside. They eventually began turning into deep gasps of air.

Only when the boy had stopped moving altogether, did he open his eyes. When he bared them, the boy stared right into Arthur's. The frightfulness in them appalled the prince; Merlin's eyes burned with unshed tears too.

"Want to give me any answers yet?" asked Ryrren, he spun on his heel to face Arthur.

"I don't know." repeated Arthur. He felt so helpless, so weak. Merlin needed help and he couldn't give it to him.

"Then I guess Merlin will go through a lot of pain again; even more than the last time to be precise." said Ryrren calmly.

"Wait, no. I'll tell you." Arthur had no idea what the answer was so he hoped that his made up answer would satisfy the twin. He couldn't just stand there and do nothing.

"Oh?" said Ryrren; he made a poor act of pretending to be surprised.

"Camelot's army is strong, that's why Camelot never falls. It is built on trust and loyalty, we have talented men as well. That is why we are never defeated." It was the best thing Arthur could think of, and it seemed true to him. How else could they win; the prince didn't know of any secret weapons Camelot possessed. The only weapons they had had and ever had were: crossbows, daggers, swords and other things similar.

"Ha," Ryrren went into a maniac fit of hysterics. As his laughs subsided, he began to speak again. "You, you expect me to believe _that_? How stupid do you think I am?" he asked as he shook his head with incredulity.

Arthur said nothing.

"Come up with a better answer, a truthful one this time, why not?" Ryrren paused. "Fac Merl–"

The prince cut Ryrren's spell off. "Don't!" he shouted fiercely. "Don't rest another finger on him!"

"If you say so…" Arthur saw Ryrren flash a wicked grin of white teeth, which contrasted immensely against his dark robes that he wore.

"What?" asked Arthur astonished; he had not expected that at all. What Ryrren had just said seemed far too good to be true.

"I promise I won't rest another finger on him… but you will." he said evilly and walked over to where Merlin was. He placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder, forcing him right against the wall. He then moved the dagger from in front of himself, to being held directly at the boy's throat. The knife was so close to his pale skin that one deep breath could cause the blade to cut.

"Remove the prince's manacles and bring him here." ordered Ryrren as he stared into Merlin's eyes. He then whispered a few words only the young warlock could hear. "I'll get the answers I want, Merlin. Eventually…"

The two Areltorians' walked over to Arthur and they each pressed a hand to the clasp securing the boy's wrists. When they removed their hands, the chains clicked open and Arthur's arms dropped to his side like a rag doll.

The prince nearly fell sitting down against the wall but seeing Merlin so hurt kept him standing up. Arthur instead leant against the rock behind him and looked down at his arms. Raw bands of flesh circled his bloody wrists. Arthur didn't want to think about how Merlin's wrists were doing; he had been twisting in his restraints hard and the metal would have been sure to scrape off some his skin – if not all of it around that area.

Soon enough the two Areltorians' walked over to Arthur and pulled him toward Merlin.

The trip toward the boy was only three metres but it seemed to last forever. Arthur tried to pull away but found he was too weak and that when he twisted to move in another direction, the skin around his torso would move and create burning pains. It was hard enough walking as it was so he let himself move with the men holding his upper arms.

Every step the prince took, felt as if he was dragging his feet through thick mud. His body lagged energy greatly and he went sluggishly because every step was filled with pain. It hurt him because of his damaged torso and because he knew that Merlin's pain was yet to end.

"Hand out, Arthur." instructed Ryrren but the prince didn't follow the order. "I said, _hand out._" The twin's eyes flashed gold and Arthur's arm slowly rose, soon enough it was out in front of him; the sliced palm of his hand facing upward.

Arthur stared at his arm in disbelief. He tried to make it move back down to his side but it wouldn't listen. It didn't even feel like his arm anymore, it looked like someone else's, disguised as his own, placed there.

Ryrren then positioned the handle of the dagger into Arthur's open palm and the prince felt his fingers seal slowly against the cold metal. At least the coolness of the handle felt good against the cut on his hand.

"Kill Merlin." said Ryrren coldly.

Whatever Ryrren said to Arthur before, was certainly far too good to be true.

Arthur could feel his closed fist that grasped the knife, gradually lift up until it was pointed at the heart of the poor boy before him.

His hand then began moving toward Merlin's pale chest. Arthur looked up into the boy's dark eyes; he could see the terror filled in them. Tears were progressively swelling up in those deep blue irises.

Arthur was going to kill Merlin. Going to kill his friend – his best friend –, the prince was going to kill his manservant.

How could Ryrren do this? After all Merlin and him had been through, it couldn't end now, could it?

Arthur tore his eyes from Merlin's. He couldn't bear to look into those hurting irises any longer; instead, he looked down at his right hand. The hand which was being controlled by Ryrren. The hand that was clutching a lethal dagger. The knife that soon would be imbedded in Merlin's heart.

Arthur scrunched his eyes shut as Ryrren swooshed his own hand downwards; his eyes flashed gold once again and then... Merlin was dead.

**There we have it. Another cliffie, after another one, which was already giving you loads of dreaded anticipation for a whole month. I'm evil I know, but it's just how I roll.**

**Ha, I just realised that every chapter has ended with a life or death situation for Merlin... Well, it certainly keeps the tension levels up, doesn't it? I must say that this isn't a very relaxing story where you can stop reading at anytime and come back to it later. With this story you **_**must **_**get to the end to see the outcome for that poor warlock, but unfortunately for you, I don't let that happen. At the end of each chapter Merlin's existence is always hanging by a thread, as I mentioned before.**

**And I'm sorry if this story is a bit gruesome for your liking. Leave now whilst you still can because there's gonna be some serious Merlin whumping when the next chapter arrives.**

**This fiction is horrible for Merlin but people actually asked me to write something Merlin whump related (I thought of the plot of course) – coz people like Merlin whumping. Mentioning no names, for their right to remain un-sadistic sounding. **

**Don't feel bad for reading this guys, coz I must admit that there's a mini sadist in all of us ;) (from the words of a great writer I know)  
**

**Larrot to English (if you still don't know this spell…):**

_Fac Merlin dolor. = Make Merlin pain._

**Now, as always, PLEASE REVIEW everybody. :D Jeez, that sounded desperate… but please review anyway? Please…? Even if you're not a member (become one if your not. You can get review replies and story alerts [where each new chapter update will come to you instead of you having to check for it all of the time]), just review. :D  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Blood On Arthur's Hands

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. I have NEVER had so much schoolwork. Sorry again, next update should be sooner.**

**Now for today's warnings: DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER IF YOU DON'T LIKE BLOOD! MERLIN WILL BE IN PAIN!**

**Let me tell you this: The pain will include: knives, skin and blood! A pentagram too!**

**Okay, I think I over-exaggerated what I just said. It's not to far from the torture Arthur's already had – the difference is that you actually read it happening to Merlin.**

**Now, here is the chapter (it's not as bad as I made it out to be – don't worry – I wouldn't do that to you). :) I am an over-exaggerator – who doesn't know that? Speak now or forever hold your peace. :)**

**But I have warned you all so I don't want flames. This story was meant for Merlin whumpers only. You can skim through it if you're a bit squeamish about blood (to see if it's too much or just to get past the bloody bit), but otherwise you should be fine – I've read more painful whump stories for young Merlin here – but this one could be by far the worst. I'm joking – but who knows… We'll see where it goes. For **_**now**_** it shouldn't be too bad. :D**

**Also, some songs I was listening to for those of you interested are: "**_**Anywhere Is" **_**by "**_**Enya" **_**& **_**"Life For Rent" **_**by **_**"Dido". **_**The latter goes really well :)**

**Chapter Five: Blood On **_**Arthur's**_** Hands**

**Previously, on **_**The Repercussions of Being Ransomed**_**…**

Arthur was going to kill Merlin. Going to kill his friend – his best friend –, the prince was going to kill his manservant.

How could Ryrren do this? After all Merlin and him had been through, it couldn't end now, could it?

Arthur tore his eyes from Merlin's. He couldn't bear to look into those hurting irises any longer; instead, he looked down at his hand. The hand that was being controlled by Ryrren. The hand that was clutching a lethal dagger. The knife that soon would be imbedded in Merlin's heart.

Arthur scrunched his eyes shut as Ryrren swished his own hand downwards; his eyes flashed gold once again and then... Merlin was dead.

**-(I~I)-**

**Presently...**

Merlin was dead, or was he? Arthur cracked open an eye. There he saw his hand stationary in the air with the knife clutched in it. Merlin was alive!

Ryrren hadn't gone through with the slaughter but had halted it.

"You really thought you were going to kill Merlin, didn't you, prince?" Ryrren's eyebrows were raised as a huge smile of amusement crossed his face. When no reply came, he spoke again, "I'm not _that_ heartless; anyway, what use would Merlin be if he were dead?"

Words left Arthur as pure anger began flowing through his blood. The prince stared hatefully into Ryrren's eyes.

"So, Arthur." He paused, "Do you have a real answer for me yet?" a calmer voice, "You can answer too, Merlin."

The prince wondered why Ryrren continued speaking mysteriously to Merlin but he remained silent instead of quarrelling. He needed to try and get rid of his infuriated thoughts about the twin; he had to keep calm.

"Speak now …" Ryrren spoke very slowly, "or I might just –"

"You will not—," anger blazed through Arthur, all of his hate for Ryrren had finally boiled too hot. He spilled all of his enraged thoughts. "—hurt Merlin. Let him go; he's done nothing!" The prince's teeth were gnashed together tightly as he spoke in a deep, booming voice. Eyes wide open; body tense.

"Wrong answer, he is the centre of this mess." Ryrren obviously already knew of Merlin's secret and he knew Arthur didn't. The Areltorians plan at first was to just ransom Arthur but that changed for various reasons. They decided to get answers first and then ransom. Then they'd know how to destroy Camelot and make money out of it at the same time.

One thing his father, the leading Areltorian, didn't know was that this questioning he was doing wasn't exactly what Althadrel required – or was it? His father actually sought secret information on Camelot so it would be easier to take down in the future. Ryrren was asking Arthur different things for his own personal reasons. Oh, how he hated those Pendragons.

Anger surged within him again, Arthur wasn't going to be let off the hook and nor was Merlin. Ryrren's eyes changed colour as he muttered a spell. "Sanguis segmentum." He then flashed an evil grin at Arthur as the prince began to feel a twinge of pain in his arm.

Arthur's thoughts of how Merlin could be _the centre of this mess _were brushed away when he focused his eyes on the hand that grasped the knife and saw it shaking unnaturally as it gradually made its way toward Merlin.

Arthur tried to stop it. He used all of his willpower to cease the cursed arm. He pleaded mentally for it to halt and was straining every muscle in his body to hold the arm back. But it seemed he could only do what Ryrren would let him do. He was under the twin's control.

The sharp point of the blade was now inches away from Merlin's skin. Slowly making its way to the boy's torso. Ryrren was enjoying the suspense he was creating for the men.

Arthur counted down from his sketchy time of five seconds in which the knife would imbed itself in Merlin's skin.

_Five seconds… _he thought.

The dagger continued creeping closer.

_Four seconds…_

Why did Ryrren have to do this? Arthur pleaded in the back of his mind. Just wishing whatever the twin was planning would soon cease.

_Three seconds…_

The anticipation was driving him almost mad. Ryrren said killing Merlin wouldn't benefit him so what was he doing now? Either way, Arthur couldn't trust that Ryrren's crude word was going to keep the boy alive.

_Two seconds…_

Arthur flicked his gaze from the dagger and to Merlin's sorrow filled eyes. When he did this, the servant's eyes locked with his own for a long second. It stayed like this until the warlock turned his stare elsewhere.

Those dark blue irises had said much; they showed hurt, pain, anger. Arthur could see plead in his friend. Albeit he was doing well to stay strong, the prince could see through mask easily.

_One second…_

This was it. If it were the last thing Arthur would do, he would get vengeance on the man causing all this pain.

Arthur kept his eyes on Merlin, even though his focus was in a different place. He wanted to continue analysing the boy's emotions.

The prince took in a deep breath of horror as he felt the knife in his hand, press into something soft. Merlin's eyelids scrunched tight as he sucked in a breath and ground his teeth together. He then opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying desperately to flee from his tears.

The knife's pierce through the skin was more painful than Merlin had imagined it to be. It stung badly. Even thinking about it made the boy hiss with pain.

The prince tried to open his mouth so he could comfort the boy with gentle words since he was incapable of moving right now, but unfortunately Ryrren held him in such a position, he couldn't even talk.

Arthur moved his eyes down and stared hatefully at the knife. It was inserted into the pale-white flesh before him. The dagger was imbedded half an inch on the lower right of Merlin's torso. Blood slowly began trickling out and around the knife. Ryrren's eyes flashed gold as this happened; he swiped his hand up through the air simultaneously.

Immediately, Arthur's arm steadily glided diagonally upward to the centre of the boy's chest. The knife moved with ease and cut cleanly – it must have been forged with magic. Merlin groaned in pain as he twisted and struggled in his manacles. He panted heavily and scrunched his eyes tightly. The warlock was obviously trying not to give Ryrren the sadistic pleasure of seeing him in pain, when he would have gladly screamed out from the throbbing ache. It felt horrible, as if someone was cleaning an infected welt with boiling, soapy water and then digging into the broken skin with a firm bristled brush.

Arthur struggled to look at what he'd done to Merlin but he just couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away. The blood slowly spilling out of the thin, deep slice was horrifying. The fresh, thick, ruby blood contrasted immensely against his pale skin as it stained and dripped. In other words it didn't look right. It would have been a foot long slice. Arthur would have cringed if he could have.

Just before Merlin could regain some his composure, Ryrren's eyes glowed gold once more and Arthur felt the cold metal in his hands move again. It cut diagonally down at a snails pace. Merlin breathed deeply with his eyes shut, making whimpering noises, every now and then. Blood streamed from the wounds, raining down on his upright torso. It splattered the floor lightly below him, like drizzling precipitation but slower.

The warlock tensed and un-tensed his tender torso, he knocked his head hard against the rock wall behind himself a few times. It was as if he kept trying to hurt himself more so when the pain died down in his head and torso, it would feel as if he'd healed or lost some of the pain, which would feel better and soothing.

The knife had now been removed and had stopped slicing opposite of the beginning mark. Both the foot long slices on Merlin's torso looked like an upside down 'V'. The two bloody slashes' were symmetrical on either side of his body.

Damn, Ryrren! Damn himself, for not being able to stop the magic causing him to do this! Merlin was in pain because of him. He didn't have to come along for the hunting trip. Arthur had forced him to. Merlin hated hunting, and he knew that. The prince just enjoyed Merlin's company – even if he did get a bit annoying a lot of the time. But why did Ryrren have to do this to Merlin? It was Arthur they wanted, right? Or was it because Ryrren could see him and Merlin were friends – and that would maybe get the answer out?

The answer. That damn answer. Arthur had told Ryrren how they always beat their threats – like any other kingdom, with weapons! Merlin was being hurt and Arthur was helpless to stop it. He couldn't give anything more and now Merlin could die. Ryrren was going to pay.

Arthur turned his eyes from his hand and to Merlin's pained face. His eyes were shut but were soon open and staring right into Arthur's. It was like Merlin somehow knew Arthur was looking. Merlin's eyes were burning with unshed tears – Arthur could see that. They held so much pain, it seemed Merlin was trying to make a decision but god knows what that was. How could he think in pain like that?

"Well, I think that's enough… _for now. _Arthur, _Merlin_, have anything to say?" said Ryrren.

This was Arthur's chance to speak, to talk while his voice was free. "Do I have something to say?" anger was coated all over his words thickly, "You stop this right now! I'll state this again! Merlin has done nothing! I'll bet all of my money that he has no knowledge of the answer either! He has no idea why Camelot's so strong –"

Ryrren held his hand up to silence Arthur's voice once more. "You would be a very poor man if you bet all of that, Arthur. Be careful of what you say." he paused, "And, Merlin here, knows more than you think. Would you like to let our dear prince in on the secret?" he directed the last part at the chained warlock.

When Merlin spoke his voice was slightly husky and extremely lethargic, "I – I have," he took in a breath, "nothing to hide." he lied shakily. The warlock ached badly so it made it almost impossible to speak normally – let alone speak.

"Is that so, Merlin?" Ryrren's eyes flashed from green to gold.

_Argh, No! Please no! _thought Arthur desperately as he felt his arm move.

Again, the knife was stabbed half an inch into the last exit point of the open wound and then was moved diagonally upwards but as it was moving this way, it crossed over the first foot long slice created earlier.

Merlin couldn't take the pain within himself anymore; he screamed out from the excruciating throbs. Additional tears swelled up in his eyes and were running down his cheeks without a moments thought. He violently rocked back and forwards in his manacles, banging the back of his head against the wall several times.

Blood, sweat and tears mingled together as the blade stopped above the entrance point of the dagger and two inches below the top point of the upside down 'V'.

It then moved across to the opposite side – the end point right above the end of another slice. Merlin screamed harder as it crossed over the two long cuts. "S-Stop!" he cried, "P-Please stop!" Four slices had been made; all a foot long in length. Blood was covering Merlin's torso; the smell was rancid. The warlock moaned while rocking back and forward. He felt extremely dizzy and if it weren't for the chains holding him up, Merlin would easily be cowering down on the ground. The warlock felt as if he could drop dead at any minute.

"As you wish." said Ryrren and the knife was once again removed from the wounds.

Arthur then found himself able to speak once more; he took advantage of it, "Merlin, if you have something to say; say it." he spoke quickly, afraid Ryrren would cut his speech of again – but thankfully that didn't happen.

Merlin took in a breath, "I-It isn't exactly something y-you'll s-smile… smile upon, sire." The boy's voice was rough and haggard. His head was resting on his sweat slick upper arm, as he was extrememly exhausted.

"Just say it so we can stop this hell." said Arthur.

"Arthur, I-I should have t-told you a long time ago – I was g-going to. I-I wanted you to know … but it wouldn't have been right." he lifted his head, "Y-You're the future king –"

"–Merlin, there won't be a future for us if you keep rambling on like this. You've been hanging around with _Gwen_ too much; spit it out."

"We're waiting, Merlin." said Ryrren.

Merlin didn't want to tell Arthur, not as he was seeing the use of magic now. It would surely harden his heart. But he had to say it, or did he? What he said now would change his and Arthur's destinies' forever. He could withstand the pain, right? Just a little longer, it probably wasn't long until Ryrren killed him anyway. But then what would happen to Arthur? They wouldn't just kill him, would they? There had to be something more.

"I-I'm in love with Gwen! W-we've kissed!" he stated abruptly in an unusually high voice. Merlin couldn't bring himself into confessing and it was the first thing that popped into his head that could be used as a lie, well, kind of – parts _were_ true.

"What?" Arthur and Ryrren shouted in sync with astonishment. Ryrren hadn't expected that at all and neither had Arthur.

"Well, s-she kissed me but …" he then speeded his voice up, "I didn't pull away –"

"You've got to be joking, that's what's _so_ big? I must admit that I am rather displeased but it's nothing to get worked over. We'll talk about this later." Arthur was amazed at how carefree Merlin could be. He'd just been tortured horribly and was screaming not too long ago… _He certainly is a riddle wrapped up in a mystery._

Ryrren scowled in disappointment. "Stop stalling, Merlin." his eyes flashed gold.

The blade of the dagger in Arthur's hand turned a bright fiery colour and made soft sizzling sounds. Merlin and Arthur's light humour changed to sullen as soon as they realised what had just happened. The blade was boiling hot.

Arthur's hand began moving close to Merlin's skinny torso again. The two boys' stared at it with horror. The prince tried desperately to cease the movement. He would have rather killed himself then to have Merlin suffer what was coming. The knife was then dipped into Merlin's wounded skin – into the last exit spot and then slowly sliced down diagonally to the left.

As soon as the sharp point touched the warlock's skin, he screamed with agony. The pain burned, it felt like he was being branded and stabbed at the same time. Merlin shook uncontrollably as nausea swept over him. The knife then crossed over a slice that had been created earlier. That was it. He couldn't take it anymore, "STOP!" he yelled. The knife stopped cutting but remained in Merlin's pale skin, which was now all sticky with blood.

"Only if you speak – say it!" replied Ryrren with glints of evil sparkling in his eyes. He flicked his hand and the heat of the blade which was imbedded stationary in Merlin, heated up further than it already was. More blood began trickling out and around the sharp dagger.

Merlin screamed hard, "FIRE, STOP IT! PUT IT OUT!" The pain was excruciating, he'd never faced worse than this – it felt like extra aching pain was added with magic so when it cut, it hurt more than it would with a mundane dagger.

The knife burned with all hell, his skin felt like it was on fire. Like someone were twisting it tightly; then sharply and slowly slicing into it. It felt like salt was being rubbed roughly and deeply into the wounds. It was worse than poison – Merlin would know. This was slower and by far sorer. There was no way to cool the pain, it was all Merlin could think of, _Fire, fire, fire… Need Water. Put out the fire. Hot, agony, fire, out! Help, water, stop! Arthur, please. Please, put out the fire!_

The blade was so hot! Before Merlin had shut his eyes, he could have sworn he saw thin wisps of smoke emitting from where the blade was on show, as the knife was long and wasn't completely sticking into the helpless servant.

It was agony and he couldn't do anything about it. Merlin would of liked to pass out but he couldn't, something was keeping him conscious – just like Ryrren's other evil enchantment.

"Please! Put out the fire!" Merlin moaned and rocked back and forward with his eyes shut tightly. "Please … Arthur, Please! Help me!"

Arthur was torn in half with Merlin's pleads. He hated it, feeling helpless. His friend was in agonising pain and he couldn't do anything! He even was the one causing this in the first place!

"Say it then. Tell Arthur who you are!" Ryrren's eyes were wide with glee.

"I'M A WARLOCK!" roared Merlin without hesitation.

Ryrren smiled maliciously but Arthur just gaped – well, if he could move he would have done so. The twin also cooled down the blade but it still remained in the warlock. Merlin immediately felt relief and pure bliss wash all over him. The sensation was like someone ceasing the pain with ice – even if the knife was still planted half an inch in him. Merlin felt so good he could hardly process the consequences of what he'd just said.

"Merlin…," Arthur was struggling to comprehend all of this. It didn't make sense. If Merlin had magic then why would he be in this situation right now? What was he doing here when he could just easily escape? Was all of Arthur and Merlin's friendship a lie – not real? The prince didn't want to believe it but the more he thought about it the more confused he became, albeit many parts did fit together.

For instance, the glowing of his eyes in the river, how he always seemed to be in the middle of those mysterious situations, how he always knew certain things that others didn't … but that couldn't have been possible. In all of those situations Merlin was trying to _help _people – not hinder… Unless, he was faking it all – but he couldn't of, could he? So many questions Arthur needed answers to.

Ryrren broke the silence as he began to speak, "Well, I can't let my masterpiece go to waste now can I? The pentagram, a magical symbol that can never be forgotten."

Ryrren's eyes changed to molten gold and the knife continued down to the first entrance point of the dagger.

Merlin was soon in a huge amount of pain again. Arthur noticed this, "You said you'd stop if he s-said what you wanted him to say!" The prince may have felt extremely bothered and disturbed by Merlin's secret but he was still his f-friend all the same. He didn't want to believe it but his conscious knew otherwise. Arthur would help Merlin through this right now and ask questions later. Right now, Ryrren was the most evil person here and he needed to be dealt with before any other actions were taken. It didn't mean he still was impressed with Merlin's act though. Anger was sparking through Arthur.

"Yes, I know. I lied." replied Ryrren nonchalantly.

"Y-You! I'm –" Arthur was cut off by Ryrren.

"–Just finishing off what's necessary."

Arthur stared horror-stricken at Merlin. The boy's teeth were gnashed and his eyes were scrunched tight. Finally, the knife stopped moving where it had first started and Arthur pulled the knife out of Merlin, with a cringe-worthy squelching noise.

Hang on, _Arthur _pulled out the knife. Oh, for the love of Camelot. _He _pulled it out. This couldn't be happening. No, Ryrren stopped the magic and forced Arthur to pull it out, right?

Arthur couldn't have chosen to remove the dagger; he was talking to Ryrren about it before. _Talking_ to Ryrren before. Every single moment the knife was cutting, Arthur's voice was useless – but not this time.

Ryrren knew this. He'd let the anger build up in Arthur so he'd hurt Merlin unintentionally but on purpose all the same. He'd devised a spectacular plan.

Firstly, Ryrren had collected some of Arthur's hair; this was when he aggressively picked the prince up by his golden locks. He had used those few strands to create a newly invented tracking potion, created entirely by the man himself. That was how the twin managed to track down Arthur, after the prince and Merlin had fell off the cliff – or jumped in Arthur's case.

Ryrren had then decided to save Merlin's life when he found the two – this was because Edmund had told him that the not-so-mere servant had magical powers. A package deal in the twin's eyes.

His father, Althadrel wanted to question Arthur on secret information about Camelot and then ransom but Ryrren wanted otherwise. He would find a way to torture Merlin, as he obviously meant a lot to the prince. The perfect idea – force Merlin into telling Arthur about his magic – what fun that would be. His father didn't need to know what he was doing. Anyway, it would benefit Althadrel in the end either way. Then when Merlin was no use and was slaughtered _or_ Arthur killed him out of anger, the Areltorians could ransom the traumatised prince – money and fun, what an accomplishment!

The twin had always known why Camelot won in their wars and beat its magical threats. It made sense – Merlin – an all-powerful warlock … Ryrren scowled at his thoughts. Merlin had used his magic along side Camelot – with Uther. How he despised that man – what he did was outrageous. That was why he wanted to do this to the king's son.

His goal was to hurt the prince badly and the key to that was Merlin. He could also break up Arthur and Merlin's friendship along the way – once the prince found out about his servant's powers he would be furious – Ryrren was still waiting for Arthur to lose it.

An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth. Ryrren could never forget what Uther did to his father, or his mother as a matter of fact. Camelot's rulers would pay for what they did.

Arthur stared down at his mobile hands. He let go of the blood-coated dagger. It clattered to the hard ground; splashing droplets of scarlet all around it.

Arthur turned his hands over, staring in disbelief at them. The palms and backs of his hands were caked in blood – especially his right hand. The ruby red glinted darkly in the flickering torchlight. It was sick, any person's blood on his hands was sick, but this was _Merlin's_ blood.

The prince had just sliced half an inch through his servant, a sorcerer… his friend. He'd just finished Ryrren's dirty work by carving the rest of the pentagram into the young man deliberately. Now, Merlin's scrawny torso would be covered in more scars than Arthur could have ever imagined – and the prince would have caused these markings.

Merlin was in horrible agony – his chest burned like fire – the cause… Arthur. His dark sapphire eyes were now open and fixed sorrowfully with the prince's. He knew what his master had done. The boy thankfully wasn't in as much pain as he should have been if it weren't for the shock occurring.

The warlock should have been unconscious from the entire trauma but Ryrren's spell had done something – or maybe Merlin staying awake was for the better.

Arthur turned his gaze away from the boy. He didn't want to look at Merlin's bedraggled body either; he still hadn't looked properly at the damage _he'd_ caused. And he wouldn't now. _Coward, _he thought.

Arthur took a step back and shifted his eyes upon Merlin's blood filthy chest. A pentagram had been etched into it, it still spilled blood and the prince was worried Merlin might be losing too much. Some of the scarlet had dried up along each side of the foot-long slices. The dark red gashes contrasted vastly against his pasty pale skin. It almost looked as if Merlin had been whipped.

Something else shocked Arthur; the part where the boiling hot blade had pierced Merlin's skin was nearly as black as cinders. It wasn't pretty and was very disturbing. It looked grotesque and putrid. That would need to be cleaned out as soon as possible or it would get badly infected.

How could the prince have done that to his friend? Arthur had just slashed through Merlin's skin purposely and now the young man could die from all blood loss. He needed to be treated. Blood was soon to be on his hands – that, if it wasn't already.

**That chapter took forever to write! Sorry if it was too gruesome for some people's liking. But this is a Merlin-super-duper-whumping-story after at all, I'm hoping to make it into a certain someone else's whump story :D So, poor Merlin. D: I didn't really want to hurt you… Okay, maybe a little but otherwise not as much as what happened in the chappie.**

**Now, I have an apology to make. To Kitty O, I'm sorry for taking your idea with the scars and all. I didn't mean to, honest! I thought of the idea ages ago but you took the thought into action and I commend you for it. So scars is all Copyright of Kitty O *place little "r" & "c" here***

**Larrot to English Translations:**

_Sanguis segmentum. = Blood Slice._

**Please review! I worked really hard on this one! And don't get angry for me hurting Merlin. *puppy dog eyes***


	6. Chapter 6: Leave or Take?

**A/N: I was meant to update last week but was sick and couldn't think straight. So I spent that time reading and reviewing others stories (also had fun chatting with people -cough- **_**Kratos'**_** -cough-). I now reward you with Merlin whump. :D**

**And if any of you guys care… While I write, I listen to songs. This is what I listened to, this chappie – you can do it too!**_** I'm Not a Witch **_**by **_**Christine O'Donnell**_** (what a convenient song name for the last chapter, eh?), **_**Fill My Heart**_** by **_**Two Steps From Hell**_** & **_**Promise **_**by **_**Two Steps From Hell.**_

**Now, go read:**

**Chapter Six: Leave or Take?**

**Previously, on **_**The Repercussions of Being Ransomed…**_

Arthur took a step back and shifted his eyes upon Merlin's blood filthy chest. A pentagram had been etched into it, it still spilled blood and the prince was worried Merlin might be losing too much of it. Some of the scarlet had dried up along each side of the foot-long slices. The dark red gashes contrasted vastly against his pasty skin. It almost looked as if Merlin had been whipped.

Something else shocked Arthur; the part where the boiling hot blade had pierced Merlin was nearly as black as cinders. It looked grotesque and putrid. It needed to be cleaned as soon as possible or it would get badly infected.

How could the prince have done that to his friend? Arthur had just slashed through Merlin's skin purposely and now the young man could die from all of the blood loss. He needed to be treated. Blood was soon to be on his hands – that, if it wasn't already.

**-(I~I)-**

**Presently…**

Angst washed away as anger flowed through Arthur. Concern was coated with fury. Sorrow with rage.

"Why—" firm words left Arthur's mouth angrily, "—would you do this?"

"Don't you mean, 'why would _you _do this'." said Ryrren nonchalantly as he casually leant his back against the wall; his arms crossed.

The prince couldn't find a reply to Ryrren's "answer". _He'd_ finished etching the symbol into the sorcerer. _He'd _brought the twin's work to an end. _He'd _hurt Merlin. _Arthur_ had harmed _his_ friend.

Ryrren noticed Arthur's lack of speech so he continued speaking. "_You _wanted to hurt Merlin, _you _could have pulled back but you didn't." he paused and turned his head right to face the man. "Don't you agree?" the twin directed his words to the warlock.

Merlin didn't reply. Instead, he stayed staring at the blood-covered ground, his chin resting sluggishly on his bare chest. The warlock felt ready to pass out from all of the pain and loss of blood but that didn't mean that he couldn't think – think about what Arthur had done. Yes, it was difficult but what other choice did he have? Ryrren wouldn't allow him to fall out of consciousness.

Merlin wasn't sure of Arthur's motives right now. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know either. That was why he didn't respond to Ryrren. The man sustained his silence.

Arthur felt more horror crawl into him when Merlin stayed quiet. Sure, he knew the sorcerer wasn't impressed with the prince but it was a whole other thing to see the man admit it – even saying nothing, Arthur could read his friend like an open book.

Ryrren broke the silence. "Has everybody said their goodbyes yet?" he asked abruptly; the man looked from Merlin to Arthur.

"What do you mean by, 'said your goodbyes'?" responded Arthur questioningly. He narrowed his eyes down on the blond before him.

"Oh well," Ryrren waved a hand around, "this has gone on long enough already…" he straightened his back against the rock behind himself.

Suddenly, understanding came to Arthur. He opened his eyes wide with horror. Ryrren wanted to kill them!

"Don't look so shocked, Arthur," said the twin noticing the prince's surprise. "What did you think I was going to do? Set you free?" Ryrren continued reading Arthur. "No. Something else." he paused, "Ahh…—" realisation hit the blond, "—you think I'm going to kill Merlin _and _yourself, don't you?  
"Well, you're half right. There'll only be _one_ death today."

Arthur calmed down. Amazingly, he felt alright hearing his own death sentence – as long as there'd be no more pain for Merlin, he was happy.

Merlin froze rigid. His eyes were fixed on Arthur when the prince's body posture had relaxed. That man was glad, that he, _Merlin_, was soon going to die.

Sure, the warlock didn't really want the prince to _not_ live – it had been a lot of hard work keeping him safe and a bond had formed (albeit, Merlin wasn't exactly sure if that relationship was still there anymore), but that didn't mean the warlock wasn't hurt by Arthur's uncaring thoughts.

Arthur stood up straight; he locked sorrowful-eyes with the warlock, "Good bye, Merlin." was all he said.

The prince braced himself for the killing-blow that would shortly come for him. He closed his eyes and tensed his body.

Arthur heard Ryrren's voice slowly chant, "Fac—" _here we go, _thought Arthur, "—Merlin—" _Merlin? _"—dolor." _That didn't sound right… _A scream sounded – Merlin's scream! That's why those words seemed so familiar. _Oh, no, no, no. Not again! _

Arthur's eyes whipped open. Merlin was thrashing wildly in his manacles; chains clashed against rock and metal. Blood trickled from where the shackles locked the warlock's wrists. His eyes were open and rolling backwards slightly.

Ryrren was smiling wickedly, his pale lips twisted in an evil grin. Cold eyes held high amounts of glee.

"Fac Merlin dolor." the twin shouted again whilst emerald eyes flashed molten gold. He then spoke knowledgably, "Merlin will soon be in so much pain that his mind will turn on itself. He will not be able to distinguish between reality and fantasy any longer."

Disbelief and revulsion coursed through Arthur's blood. This _couldn't _happen to _Mer_lin. He tried to charge at Ryrren but his body was unresponsive. That damn twin was restricting his movement with magic _again_.

Ryrren continued, "The spell I'm using eventually causes the victim to have uncontrollable hallucinations, so bad that they'd wish they were dead. Eventually, they would kill themselves from not knowing the difference between their real life and imagination.  
"If I continue this enchantment any longer, it will soon be _too_ late for, Merlin. His mind will be under so much pressure it'll breakdown.  
"But isn't that what you want Arthur? Isn't that what you Pendragons do? Kill someone innocent, just because they're born with magic?"

"I'd never wish this upon anyone." said Arthur fiercely. "Why do this, if you believe Merlin is innocent?" he asked angrily. The prince was desperate to stop Ryrren.

"He has caused harm; he has sided with you and killed his own kin." Ryrren paused briefly, "Fac Merlin dolor!" he said in a raised voice.

"But there are other ways! Don't take out your frustrations on Merlin!"

Ryrren ignored Arthur and shouted at the top of his lungs, "FAC MERLIN DOLOR!"

Merlin screamed louder than what was thought possible. He thrashed violently; chains clanged forcefully. It created an enormous racket.

Arthur tried to speak over the noise, "Please stop!" he shouted.

"FAC MERLIN DOLOR!" roared Ryrren again.

All of a sudden, Merlin's closed eyes flicked open; they revealed bright golden irises. Bits of rock began crumbling from above. Dust and rubble sprinkled to the ground as the cave shook.

The warlock continued jerking sharply in his manacles until his eyes flashed golden once more, and the rough shackles locking Merlin's wrists, clicked open.

The exhausted servant smacked down onto the floor lifelessly – his head some metres before Arthur's feet. The man's arms were angled awkwardly, with his legs askew as his skinny pale body lay motionlessly in a prone position.

Arthur was shocked. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it happen was an entirely different scenario. Merlin had just used magic – it was hard to believe. And it wasn't just any kind of magic, it was powerful – the man didn't even need to speak words.

But something greater puzzled the prince, why did the sorcerer allow himself to be tortured like that? Couldn't he have saved himself the pain by using magic earlier? What the heck was going on?

Ryrren was outraged. The cave was collapsing and Merlin had some how used magic – how long had it been since the boys' capture? Stone and debris continued falling progressively. That warlock mustn't have consumed any of the "food" Ryrren had given him earlier. But surely, he would have tried his magic to get out of being tortured?

A voice then called out from next to him. It broke the twin from his thoughts. "Come on, Ryrren – let's go! This place is going to fall on top of us if we leave now!" The prince would get out of this place, even if Ryrren wouldn't, but he wasn't exactly certain of how he'd get out.

Sure, there was an obvious exit point that Arthur could see in the cave but that could easily lead to more unknown passages and time wasn't a thing they had right now.

Arthur ran over to Merlin and knelt down in front of him. He supressed hisses of pain as he moved; his skin was tender from been cut, burnt and beaten - movement hurt, a lot. The prince placed a shaky hand on the pale man's sweaty back. There was slight movement from his consistent breathing but he still was yet to move. Merlin was most likely resting from all of the pain he'd just been put through. Rocks crashed down endlessly; only just narrowly missing everyone.

"No. I can stop this." said Ryrren stubbornly. He raised his hands and began moving them in a circular motion. "Subsisto cadens!" the man pushed his hands up through the air as he shouted. Bright red sparks flew from the tips of his spanned fingers but the crumbling of the large cave didn't cease.

Suddenly, Arthur felt Merlin shift below him. He gradually twisted shakily onto his back. The prince stared at the man's bare torso – it was still a shocking sight. Blood and dirt was smeared over five foot-long painful gashes.

Merlin tried to sit up but halfway there he hissed with pain and fell right back down onto his back with a thwack. The skin on his stomach was extremely sensitive. The slices burned with almost every movement.

"Leave it, Ryrren. We have to go." Arthur needed to convince the man. The amount of fallen stone surrounding them was dire. As son of the leading Areltorian, Ryrren would definitely know a way out.

The twin huffed at Arthur's comment. "I can –" before he could finish speaking a rock struck his head and the man fell onto a pile of stones unconscious.

"Just great…" mumbled Arthur. He then looked above himself to see a rock coming his and Merlin's way. Too stunned to move, the prince instinctively tried to cover as much of himself and the warlock as possible with his arms – but no strangely collision was made.

Arthur slowly lifted his hands and looked up to see the stone hovering inches above his head. The prince fell back painfully onto his behind from surprise.

An unnatural sapphire glow caressed the jagged edges of the rock – _magic. _Arthur whipped his head knowingly to face Merlin's. He just managed to see the boy's eyes change from a brilliant gold back to the usual blue.

The sorcerer then propped himself up with his elbows. The prince was confused. Merlin had just saved _him_ – well, the boy himself too but he'd also saved _Arthur._

Arthur's thoughts were interrupted with a harsh scream. The prince snapped his head to see Merlin's face poised with pain. A large rock had planted itself on the man's right left. The heavy stone covered the warlock's leg from his knee down.

Also, the loaf of bread-sized stone Merlin had just saved the prince from was lying uneasily on the man's upper body. He must have lost control over it when the stone hit his leg.

Arthur stood up as fast as he could and then staggered over to the smaller rock. He put hands on either side, rolling it off the boy's chest with gnashed teeth. Merlin took in deep breaths hastily – the rock must have restricted him from breathing well. A nasty graze showed itself from where the stone had landed. Dark purple bruising was also already beginning to form.

The prince quickly stumbled over to the other rock and placed hands on either side of the two-foot wide stone. He pulled upwards, heaving with all of his strength he tried to make the dark rock move but it hardly budged. The prince ground his teeth together and strained his arms but the rock refused to move.

"A-Arthur," called Merlin in a husky voice. The prince snapped his head left to see the sorcerer staring at him. He took in a lungful of air and began speaking with difficulty. "Go. Go whilst you still can; t-this place—" -pant-"—is going to give way any minute now." He wasn't going to let his destiny go to waste now, was he? Merlin also could see the prince cared for him when he tried to help moments before. What Arthur said earlier and now also contributed.

"No, I won't leave you." said Arthur obstinately.

Merlin moaned. "You're going to get us both killed."

Arthur sighed in relinquish. "Then use your magic."

"What?" asked Merlin in a slightly hoarse voice. He quickly swiped some sweat off of his face.

"Use your magic." The warlock didn't need to be told a third time. He gestured with an arm, for Arthur to move. Closing his eyes, he held his right arm up with a spanned, feeble hand in front of himself.

"Levo petra." he muttered quietly. The rock shifted slightly but didn't lift off the ground. "Levo petra." He raised his voice but still, no luck. Merlin opened his eyes and stared into the prince's. "Arthur, this isn't working. I want you to leave."

The prince gazed back into the warlock's sapphire eyes. "Life's not worth living without you, Merlin." Arthur paused with pursed lips; thinking about what he'd just said, "Now get your ass off the ground. We have to get moving." That last line appeared far to soft for his fancy... "Try again." he added.

Merlin moved his eyes from Arthur's and focused solely on the rock before him. The prince's words had meant a lot to him – they gave him power. The warlock spoke each syllable of the spell forcefully. "Le-vo pet-ra!" The sorcerer's eyes flamed gold and to the men's delight, the stone glowed blue and slowly rose off the ground. Arthur watched with awe at the power his so-called, _"mere"_ servant possessed.

Once the rock was four-feet off the ground, the warlock directed it right and released his hold. It landed with a large thud. Rocks still continued dropping randomly from above, they needed to get out.

"Can you heal yourself?" asked Arthur as he knelt down by his friend.

"Healing i-isn't exactly my forté…" said Merlin roughly. He chewed on his bottom lip.

"You and I are going to have a long talk sometime soon." Arthur tried to move his arms behind Merlin's back and under his knees but the boy shrugged him away.

"W-what are you doing?" the warlock asked hoarsely with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you tell me how you plan on getting out of here, if you can't heal yourself," the prince then raised his voice, "Look at the state of you!" Merlin stared down at his bedraggled body.

His leg was definitely broken; it was twisted at a weird angle, which Merlin strangely couldn't feel – not a good sign. His torso burned with pain and looked grotesque; it let off a putrid smell. His wrists were bloody; almost the entire top layer of skin had been peeled roughly away. The man's ribs also poked prominently through his unnaturally pasty skin.

Arthur then spoke in a normal tone; he added, "Trust me, I don't want to carry you." That would do; his last statement seemed far too motherly for his liking – didn't want Merlin getting the wrong idea.

Arthur placed his hands back on the boy. The warlock opened his mouth and was about to protest before Arthur beat him to it. "Shut up, _Mer_lin." Amazingly, the man obliged to the prince's order.

Arthur wrapped a warm arm around the warlock's bare back and another under his knees. He scooped up his friend with difficulty, albeit he didn't show it. The gash in his side felt of absolute agony. Even if he was injured, the prince could still feel that his manservant was _extremely _light. This worried the prince slightly; Merlin was way _too _skinny for his liking.

Arthur began trudging through the fallen stone. Merlin hissed with pain every time the prince moved abruptly as he made his way through the mess. Arthur was really struggling with holding his friend. He could barely carry himself, let alone a full grown man on top of that.

They just had to make it out in time. This place wouldn't last much longer; mounts of rocks already surrounded them.

"Should we really leave, Ryrren?" croaked Merlin. Arthur stopped walking.

The prince stared at his friend with disbelief – how could he have thought this person ever evil for possessing magic? "After all he's done, you want to bring him along? Maybe even give him another chance to torture others or us again?" the prince paused, "Oh, look over there. It seems Ryrren's chopping _Mer_lin up again. Oh, well..." Arthur's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I guess not…"

"Either way, I don't think I can carry you both." Arthur continued walking briskly – he would run but the man was exhausted and injured considerably himself.

The two men then heard a large rumbling noise emit from the arched walls around themselves. They both looked at each other with the same thoughts. "Run!" shouted Merlin.

"Way ahead of you!" Arthur held Merlin tightly in his arms and sprinted as fast as he could, out of the door-less cave where Ryrren had tortured them. So, maybe the prince _could_ run when he really wanted to, but that didn't mean that with every stride he took, it felt like someone was whipping him harshly.

They had just reached the dully-lit cavern passages, when the cave behind them, collapsed on itself. It just looked like a big mountain of broken rock.

Unfortunately, it didn't break down enough to reveal sunlight. Was it still even light out? The prince had lost track of time.

The large collapsing had caused cracks to make their way through the walls surrounding the men. More stone began falling down.

Arthur ran through the moist, narrow passages that were formed from rock. He sprinted until he reached a fork in the cavern. Arthur huffed in frustration.

"Left or right?" asked Merlin quietly as he stared down what looked like two, dark, endless routes.

Suddenly, a sound of angry screams came from the left passageway. A large mob of Areltorians advanced straight towards Arthur and Merlin – anger was illustrated on each one of their torch lit faces. Most of them held weapons despite their magical powers.

They all roared different things.

"—will pay!"

"—not get away with this!"

"—kill you!"

"Right." replied Arthur quickly.

***Cha, Cha Theme* Cliffie, cliffie, cliff-ie! Arthur, Arthur, **_**Mer**_**-lin!**

**Well, I've been noticing a lot of puns in fanfiction authors writing lately and decided to make one myself – why not? :) Who liked the bad-ending pun? Come on, you know you loved it. :D I'm not even sure if it was a pun... :/ Nah, it wasn't come to think of it. So much for that... :/  
**

**I hope the Merlin whump was sufficient enough to cease your sadistic yearnings and that you enjoyed the chapter. **

**And I left that line in, _"Life's not worth living without you, Merlin."_ for the secret slashers reading, although this is not intended to be slash. Take it any way you want. :D I don't care how you react to the line, I just want a reaction. Good, bad, what's not? Love them all. **

**If I can make someone feel a certain way, I know I've accomplished my job. :) Doing what I love, not caring of what people think. That's the way I roll. :D  
**

**Larrot to English Translations:**

_Subsisto cadens. = Stop the falling down._

_Fac Merlin dolor. = Make Merlin pain._

_Levo petra. = I will lift up the rock._

**Please review now! :D**


	7. Chapter 7: The Evasion

**A/N: Hello again. Sorry about the long wait… I was on holiday for two weeks and forgot to tell you guys in advance. **

**Next time, if it seems like it's taken a lot of time to update, go check out my profile. There will always be a notice about why my story is late at the beginning of my bio.  
Speaking of my bio, I completely reorganized it so it's easier to read. If you couldn't find the picture of Ryrren, you will be able to find it now. I also added the pronunciations of different character names for this story into my profile.**

**Additionally, I edited all the chapters of this story, so if you want more detail on what some of the Areltorians look like, I put more of a description into chapter one. I also made it much easier to read for every other chapter including that one. It was such shocking writing – at least it's better now. Especially those earlier chapters… *shudders* How did you readers read it? I'm amazed. Thank you for sticking with me! :) **

**Now without further ado, please go and read… Hehehehe :) **

**Chapter Seven: The Evasion**

**Previously, on **_**The Repercussions of Being Ransomed…**_

The large collapsing had caused cracks to make their way through the walls surrounding the men. More stone began falling down.

Arthur ran through the moist, narrow passages that were formed from rock. He sprinted until he reached a fork in the cavern. Arthur huffed in frustration.

"Left or right?" asked Merlin quietly as he looked between what looked like two, dark, endless routes.

Suddenly, a sound of angry screams came from the left passageway. A large mob of Areltorians advanced straight towards Arthur and Merlin – anger was illustrated on each one of their torch lit faces. Most of them held weapons despite their magical powers.

They all roared different things.

"—will pay!"

"—not get away with this!"

"—kill you!"

"Right." replied Arthur quickly.

**-(I~I)-**

**Presently...**

Still holding Merlin, Arthur sprinted down the right passageway as fast as he could. The angry shouts were loud and ascending in volume. The Areltorians were gradually gaining on the injured men.

For five long minutes, the prince ran. Arthur couldn't keep this evasion up much longer, how large could this damn cavern be? Surely he wouldn't need to travel too much further in search of the exit. His arms ached from carrying his servant, the man's injured side throbbed with pain and his legs burned from running. They were almost numb, he was _that _sore.

This cavern was a labyrinth. He ran down twists and turns, up through curves that went left and bends that went right. All that was on the prince's mind was making sure he got as far as possible from the rabble of Areltorians.

He had to keep up his pace; those angry men were right on their tail.

And they obviously weren't happy. Although, it was understandable... Their entire lair was slowly collapsing and one of their people had been killed (that's if Ryrren was dead at all, which was most likely; those falling rocks were lethal). But it wasn't exactly their fault, Arthur and Merlin had no intentions of making the cavern collapse. Ryrren had asked for it; if he hadn't kidnapped them…

Arthur's thoughts were cut off. He had more important things to think about. Things like that irritating dead-end before himself. He felt icy chills creep over him. It was freezing around here. The prince had stopped running. He looked the curved wall up and down.

They were trapped. This was ridiculous. He'd thought he'd been escaping from death when he'd been running straight for it. It was too late to turn back now though; the Areltorians were not far behind. They were running through the same long passage Arthur and Merlin had come through. The men were cornered.

"Put me down… Against the wall." directed Merlin. If he was going to die, he wanted to go down with honour. If someone half-naked was holding _your__ own_ half-naked body, you wouldn't be feeling that much pride within yourself either.

Arthur walked to his left and gently lowered Merlin to the ground. The warlock hissed with pain as the skin around his torso shifted. He now stood on one foot. His side resting heavily against the dark rock. The prince's arms felt lighter than feathers after the servant's weight had been taken off of him.

There was a long silence before anyone spoke.

"Merlin… I'm sorry…" Arthur trailed off, not exactly sure what to say. Why couldn't he have just turned another way? There were so many opportunities to go down other routes.

The prince faced the wall. His right hand rested at his hip while the other arm was held straight in front of himself; his left palm flat against the dead-end. The man's head was bowed in shame as he stood there leaning into the wall. He was tired, and the support of the rock helped.

"It wasn't your fault." It seemed like Merlin had taken the thoughts straight from his friend. "We were lucky we even made it this far."

Arthur turned his body around so it now faced the long torch lit passage. He could see the dark silhouettes of the Areltorians on the cave walls. They were soon due to make the right turn that would lead them to their deaths.

Merlin spoke again; the silence between them was just _too_ awkward. It didn't feel right. "What do you think they'll do to us?" he asked; not really expecting any decent answer.

"I don't want to think about it." Arthur kept his gaze ahead of him.

The shouts of the nearing mob heightened with every second. So did the deep rumbling sound of the cavern; it would eventually give way. This was it; this would be the end of them. The Areltorians had no use for the men anymore. Their plans were most likely ruined; their den was almost destroyed.

Several moments the later, the Areltorians came into full view. They had turned the corner and were coming down Merlin and Arthur's dead-ended passage way. The cave was narrower here so all of the men were squashed together, many behind one another. Each chaotic line held six people which piled back into about five rows. The prince estimated that there was around thirty men according to his arithmetic which, – might he admit – really wasn't all that bad.

Sweaty faces displayed enraged looks. They stormed towards the injured men with merciless intentions. Various weapons dangled from their sashes and were also clutched in their hands despite their magical powers. All wore the customary black robes. It gave explanation to why they were all panting heavily in spite of most of them possessing fit, lean figures. Those dark, thick, long materials were not really all that practical.

Unfortunately, Merlin and Arthur had a feeling that not all of the Areltorians were in front of them right now. There were still many out there. For instance, the ones who ambushed the men in the first place were not here right now. There was no Edmund, Althadrel and so forth. It seemed those men were of higher ranking and so now the inferior ones were here to finish their dirty work by killing the injured men.

When the Areltorians were twenty-five feet away from Merlin and Arthur, a man in the middle of the first row within the angry mob raised a steady hand. All stopped moving and pointed their weapons towards the men. The weaponry included: swords, daggers, crossbows, bow & arrows and even those fiery torches could be counted.

Arthur wasted no time in speaking up. If those bloody men weren't holding weapons, he would already be over there, taking _each_ _one_ of them down, _piece_ by _piece_.

"So you're just going to kill us now?" the prince asked heatedly.

The one who'd raised his hand spoke. His menacing voice had a gruff British twang to it. It almost sounded as if he were speaking in a bit of a baby voice. Judging by the way he spoke, this man obviously didn't have a good command of the English language.

"We have much more int'restin' arrangements prepared for ya. Killin' you's would just be far… _too_ nice. Wouldn't it boys?" the group of men erupted into agreement and all were soon hushed by the man who created the noise in the first place, "But you _will_ die eventually..." the pitch of his voice had now deepened. It was filled with anger, "Yes, we'll kill ya, but not without some fun first." The man smiled wickedly.

He had short black hair, malicious brown eyes and fair skin. He was somewhere near thirty years of age and most likely, the unofficial leader of this pack. That supposition was made given that he stood slightly in front of all the men, along with all of his instructive actions and malevolent words.

Arthur and Merlin were dumbfounded. Why was everyone here _so_ sadistic? Every single one of them took great pleasure in torturing people. Did thrills of excitement run through them whenever they saw a drop of blood? Was Arthur missing something here? What was it with all the sadistic rage and these people? _Well, birds of the same feather do flock together._

The pack leader spoke again. "What happened to you, boy?" The man gestured his sword to Merlin's blood-streaked torso. He looked the servant up and down.

The warlock replied with one simple word, "Ryrren."

"Ah, of course. Him and his torture techniques." So Merlin and Arthur weren't the only ones to be tormented by that wicked blond twin.

Then, a man whom held a crossbow spoke. He was positioned in the first row of the pack but on the side. This particular Areltorian had a very strong Irish accent.

"The cavern's fallin' and it's all 'cause of you's." he paused, "We _should _jus' kill ya now. Why wait?" At this, some other Areltorians cheered in consent.

The man had the usual pale complexion that most Irish people possessed and tousled, light-brown hair. Big blue eyes held high amounts of fury. The man was probably in his early twenties, judging by his young face.

"Now Niakh—" the pack leader tried to calm the man down.

"—My father is dead." Niakh ignored what was said to him. "He's buried underneath rock." The man's eyes were glued on Arthur.

"I'm sorry for your loss." the prince stated softly. The Areltorian seemed to be expecting a reply.

"You're not sorry. You don't care." Niakh's crossbow clicked as he set it. Anger had erupted through him. "You're going to pay for what ya did! I'll kill you!" He pulled the trigger and the bolt flew towards Arthur.

With too much shock flowing through him to move, the prince cringed and scrunched his eyes tightly. He awaited the blow that would surely kill him in less than a second. He'd been through all that torture just to be slaughtered now. Why did it have to come to this?

**Ah, so it's a death situation for Arthur now. Hehehe!**

**This chapter was meant to be longer but it seemed a bit too lengthy and this was the only decent bit where I could slice it so it was a cliffie. I did this because I**_** HATE**_** long chapters. There's just something about that small scroll bar that I don't like when reading…  
I try not to make mine too long but sometimes you just can't help it… So I'm not criticizing any of **_**your **_**work if it has long chappies, okay? :)**

**For the pronunciations of the names I created. Please go to my newly organized profile where it **_**will**_** be listed. The same with the picture of Ryrren.**

**And a special thanks to Kitty O for all of her fantastic constructive criticism that she's been giving me throughout the story. It's really helpful and I really appreciate it :) **

**Now you wouldn't mind dropping me a review, would you? :) You'll be a friend forever. :D**


	8. Chapter 8: Powerful Magic

**A/N: I had the flu :( It was meant to be up last week.**

**Anyway, who's seen Harry Potter Seven Part Two? I know a few of you have already! It was great! Did you know John Hurt (voice of the dragon in Merlin) played Mr. Ollivander and Grettir in Merlin (that short guy whom was the Keeper of the Bridge in the Eye of the Phoenix, S3E8) played the goblin Griphook and Hogwarts teacher Flitwick? I can't believe I actually recognised him with all that makeup on! That's what prompted me to look further into it. :) In the movie theatre, I was all, "Hey! That guy's from Merlin!" My friends gave me funny looks. Heh heh. :P**

**Also, I haven't given up on any of my other stories for those of you wondering. I'm planning to update this weekend for **_**SpoilOpilous**_**. Maybe not **_**Trading Places **_**quite yet… I need to give that a huge edit first, so it'll be updated a bit later. **

**Now, you might be questioning the name of the chapter and are thinking: "CoolCarrot, you want me to read a chapter about powerful magic?"  
Me: *shakes head and smiles* Nooo… Of course not. *opens eyes wide with seriousness* What I want is for you to read the chapter about powerful magic **_**AND**_** review it. **

**Chapter Eight: Powerful Magic**

**Previously, on **_**The Repercussions of Being Ransomed…**_

"—My father is dead. He's buried underneath rock." The man's eyes were glued on Arthur.

"I'm sorry for your loss." the prince stated softly. This Areltorian seemed to be expecting a reply.

"You're not sorry. You don't care." Niakh's crossbow clicked as he set it. "You're going to pay for what ya did! I'll kill you!" anger erupted through him. He pulled the trigger and the bolt flew towards Arthur.

With too much shock flowing through him to move, the prince cringed and scrunched his eyes tightly. He awaited the blow that would surely kill him. He'd been through all of that torture just to be slaughtered now. Why did it have to come to this?

**-(I~I)-**

**Presently...**

Just before the bolt was about to strike his friend, Merlin's magical instincts kicked in. He threw out an arm, fingers splayed. The limb was positioned straight to his right so that it was pointed directly at Arthur. The servant's body was upright, although, his left shoulder was still pressed firmly against the wall for that necessary support. He stood on one leg as the other was broken.

His eyes flashed molten gold. "Vim ager." the warlock spoke loudly. The 'g' sound in word, "ager" came from the back of his throat. A scratchy sound, like he had something stuck in his gullet and wanted to get it out.

A transparent navy-blue shield appeared in front of Arthur just before the collision was made. It was slightly curved and glowed abnormally. All eyes were on the bolt as it hit the magical guard which hovered inches before the prince. It rebounded off the shield with a crackling sound and shot straight at the pack leader.

It embedded itself square in the man's chest. With a harsh scream of pain, he crumpled to the ground; simultaneously knocking into a few of his comrades. This caused them to stumble somewhat. The unofficial pack leader lay dead on the ground. Blood seeped from where the bolt had pierced him.

When Arthur heard the sharp crackling noise, he slowly opened his eyes, just in time to see a man shriek and then fall to the ground. _That_ bolt was meant for him, and it was now wedged in the leader's chest. Oh, but Arthur was _not _complaining.

Blue light touched everywhere he looked; the prince soon realised that he had been saved by a shield. He glanced over to the warlock and saw his arm outstretched and aimed towards him.

Arthur's eyebrows rose with bewilderment. Merlin had just saved him, with magic. Everything had happened so quickly.

The Areltorians exploded into angry yells once they realised that one of their men was dead. Bows twanged, arrows whistled, daggers flew, torches soared and magic was thrown. All were aimed at Merlin and Arthur.

The warlock kept his right arm outstretched so the prince's shield didn't falter. He quickly threw his other hand in front of himself.

"Vim ager… Sana talus, fibula et tibia! Tardo sanguis! Sana ipse!" Additional words of magic flowed from his mouth. He wasn't sure why or how it happened. All he knew was that it was meant to occur. It felt right.

With a flash of his eyes, another blue screen appeared, but this time, in front of himself. Not only did it protect him, but Merlin felt an unfamiliar sensation sweep over him. He felt a soothing warmth wrap itself around his injured leg. It then pulled tightly around the limb and the warlock felt relief wash throughout himself.

He had just healed his severely broken leg. How? He did not know, but now, did he ever feel _good_. Concurrently as his leg had healed, he'd felt that same comforting warmth curl itself around his torso. Unfortunately, the gashes on his upper body had not mended but thankfully, the bleeding _had_ stopped. The wounds were still open but the pain had definitely lessened.

Merlin was not disappointed. The healing magic which was flowing through him was new and exhilarating. This was the beginning of something exciting. Merlin glowed on the inside, and he probably was on the outside too, with all of that magic coursing through his veins. The warlock had never felt more alive. Had never felt more powerful.

While Merlin had healed himself, shots and throws had hit and were still striking the protective walls. When they crashed, the blasts instantly ricocheted back into the rabble, either killing or maiming the attackers. Crackling sounds exploded whenever the weaponry collided with the shields. Hazardous sparks flew outwards with every impact.

The protective screens soon flickered faintly until they eventually disappeared from sight. That had taken a lot of energy out of Merlin; it was a wonder he'd been able to hold up the guards that long. Luckily, by the time this happened, no more attacks had been attempted. The remaining Areltorians who were not dead, seriously injured or unconscious would take one last look at Merlin's drained figure before running out of view.

What _wusses_, but he could understand why… That was powerful magic _no one_ would want to mess with.

A foul smell of raw skin and smoke had wafted through the air. The warlock saw the source of the stench. It came from some burning bodies. They'd obviously thrown their torches hoping to penetrate the shield but instead had them rebounded back causing fatal burns to themselves and their comrades.

Without a second thought, Merlin ceased the crazed flames. His eyes glowed gold again and the fires evaporated into steam.

The warlock slumped with his back pressed against the wall. Everything whirled around himself and tiny black dots clouded his vision. That was powerful magic and he was injured. A perfect mix to make someone almost feel like death themselves. And _Arthur_ had seen that display of strong magic… Some of the strongest he'd ever used.

As if on cue, Arthur called out.

"Merlin?" The prince was unsure of the warlock's well-being. "What was that…?" he paused for a moment before inquiring something more important.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a quizzical expression posed on his features. His friend's face appeared pastier than it had with Ryrren. The man did _not_ look well.

"N-never been—" The servant felt himself lurch. He heaved forward and made gagging motions and sounds, though only little saliva dribbled from his open mouth. The lack of liquid and sloppy chow showed Merlin had not digested anything in a while.

"—better." he just managed to choke out before throwing up naught again.

Once finished his second round, the warlock stood back up; his back pressed against the wall. He felt a lot better. See? His statement _was _true. Well, kind of… He wasn't nauseous anymore or as sore but he did still feel extremely exhausted.

"What happened before… Does _that_—" Arthur pointed a doubtful finger at the clear liquid Merlin had spewed out. "—normally happen after you use… use _magic_?" asked Arthur hesitantly.

Merlin tilted his head to the side questioningly. What did Arthur mean?

"Oh…" he said voicing his realisation. "Oh no. No it doesn't. " He shook his head smiling. " I guess that was just a side affect after using powerful magic." The warlock was _so _glad Arthur had accepted him for who he was. He also thought he'd just say those last few sentences like it didn't take too much effort. Why not have a bit of fun?

"Hey, you're not bleeding anymore," The prince took in Merlin's wounded torso. "You've healed your leg too." He'd only just realised that the warlock was standing on two feet.

"Thank God… You're heavier than you look, you know, Merlin." Arthur paused, "But too skinny nonetheless. When we get back to Camelot, you're going to eat more. And you're going to _like_ it."

"Well, it's hard to eat when there's hardly any food… Unlike nobles who can stuff their royal faces to their hearts content." He then changed the subject not really wanting any answer to what he'd just said.

"It was strange, the spell to heal my leg just rolled off my tongue. Nothing like that has ever happened before." explained Merlin.

"Right then."

Arthur didn't like where the change in topic had gotten to. This was a bit too weird… He was not used to discussing magic so openly. He evaded the theme by mumbling a question to himself.

"The best way of escaping this place would be to…" _to…_ _What was the fastest and most efficient way?_ The entire place was going to come down soon, that was if they didn't move.

While thinking, the prince leant his back against the dead-ended wall but quickly jerked back up into a standing position when he felt something prod into his skin.

"What in the name of Camelot?"

He spun around to see the entire wall filled with several arrows, bolts and knives. Surrounding their boots, there were also many sharp weapons.

They were obviously all of the inaccurate shots and throws that had missed the shield, and had either slammed into the wall falling to ground or actually went _right through the rock._

Right, through the rock… That was it! This wall was clearly weak if knives and arrows could penetrate it. They could smash it open and escape from this place!

"Merlin… Do you think it possible for you to break that wall down?"

"With magic, sire?" It wasn't everyday the Crown Prince of Camelot asked you to perform spells.

"Yes with, _magic._" Arthur hissed the words out. "How else would you do it?"

Merlin ignored the prince's comment about him being weak. Yes, it was well hidden in its sentence but a remark nevertheless. He instead, opposed his master's idea by letting out some words of disagreement.

"I don't think we should, Arthur. _Anything _could be on the other side of that rock." The warlock's face was deadly serious.

"Well, I don't see how else we'll get out of here on time." The prince turned around and began carefully inspecting one of the arrows that was wedged in the wall. "I say, it's worth a try."

_Jeez, Arthur can be a real __**prat**__ sometimes…_ Merlin continued trying to explain what could happen if they tried to get to the other side. "What if we just find more stone? If we disrupt this part of the cavern then it could collapse on _us_ or trap _us_ further. Besides, my powers sense something's not right on the other side…"

"Your powers sense things…" repeated Arthur. His voice held disbelief. Who knew there was this much involved in magic. Didn't you just have to say, "_alakazam_"?And them _bam_! A mysterious leprechaun would appear. Obviously not…

"Well, what do you suggest then? Teleportation?" asked the prince. There was a slight tinge of humour in his voice.

"I haven't got the gist of that one yet, and don't want to try it with you. Limbs can be left behind and it could even take you to another dimension. A pretty messy way of travel—"

"—Merlin, I was joking. You've got to learn to not take things so literally."

"Well, in the magic world anything is possible." Merlin paused, "There must be another way out." he hesitated until an idea suddenly dawned on him.

"Ooh, ooh! I've got it. We'll switch clothes with these Areltorians—" The warlock gestured to the unconscious bodies, "—I'll use my magic to guide us out of here and if we run into any other Areltorians, they'll just think we're one of them." The servant threw his hands in the air on the word "_them_".

"Now you're thinking." Arthur pointed his finger at Merlin approvingly.

The servant rubbed his hands together. "Okay, let's get these robes on." He walked a little closer to where the bodies lay. "It's freezing."

Merlin stopped moving and placed a hand on his hip. His lips were pursed; a puzzled expression had crossed his features. "Don't you think it's a bit strange that this part of the cavern is so much colder than any other section?" He spoke with unsure narrowed eyes. "I don't think I really want to know what's on the other side of this wall. There's just something about it…" He bit his bottom lip.

Arthur hands up in surrender. He shook his head and laughed.

"All right. We're not going to smash the dead-end down… At least not right now. If our other plans fail we're coming back here."

The prince's expression then turned serious. His eyes were now wide with somber sincerity.

"And, _God_ help me—" the man exhaled, "—if you don't want to come, I'll _drag_ you with me the whole way and then _smash_ the wall down myself. Regardless of what you think or do. Is that _understood_?" He held his hands in front of himself with a fake smile residing on his face.

"Fine then." grumbled Merlin. _Oh, no. Arthur wasn't just any old __**prat. **__He was a __**pompous**__ one. And a __**damn **__good one at that. _

**Oh, ho my Merlin-whumping friends. Do not fret! This is not the end of the whump! Oh no… Hehehe. Merlin will not stay healed for long… But we need him healed so he can make it to the next whump stage. Heh heh. :) **

**Anyone a Doctor Who fan? When looking up translations, I realised the scientific bone names in English are in fact based on Latin words. I then looked up **_**Tardis **_**and it said, "late". I don't know… Just a fun fact (that's if Google Translate serves me correctly)! "Late" kind of does make sense though… Who knows…? Why the heck did I search it up anyway? LOL :P**

**Also, my mother has recently just published a book and I'm telling everyone about it. It's called "**_**How to get anything you want… Just Like that!**_**"****Go check it out; she has a blog that explains a bit about it. Here's the URL: www (dot) janetpoole (dot) com**

**Just type in the URL. Do it now! :) I just want to prove to mum that I can get lots of hits on her blog by using my stories to tell people. I also want the best for her.  
So you don't even need to read the posts but I would appreciate it if you did. Just go on the website so she'll get lots of hits. And maybe if you wanna go the extra s**_**mile**_**, you could maybe leave a friendly comment, yes? Heh heh, mum's face is gonna be priceless. But in a good way :) A happy priceless look, you know?  
Also, can you tell one other person about it and get them to tell another? Just one or two so it spreads out like tree branches? The word needs to get around somehow… **

**Larrot to English Translations:**

_Vim ager. = Force field._

_Sana talus, fibula et tibia! Tardo sanguis! Sana ipse! = Heal ankle and leg bones! Slow blood! Heal myself!_

**Remember to review people! :D**


	9. Chapter 9: More Pain for the Warlock

**A/N: YAYAYAY! Made it to 100 reviews! Thank you everyone for reviewing! It means a lot! Also, who put me in the _Right Turn _(stories that take an odd path) community? Should I take that as a compliment? I will but was just wondering... At least it won't be forgotten... _Al-ways look on the briiigggght side of life! *_whistles* I love Monty Python. :) **

**Anyway, life has being getting in the way lately. I'm not going to go on about updating and maybe things might change. Like Murphy's Law or something. I remember another author on FanFiction saying that in their A/N as well (it's what gave me my inspiration - copying more like it. I just hope their theory works) – so all credit to them (unfortunately, can't remember their pen name. Will have to look into it…).**

**By the way, you don't have to bother reading the**_** Previously **_**paragraphs… Those are just repeating what happened at the end of the last chapter for those who need a reminder because of my atrocious updating skills. **

**I tried to make this chapter more, **_**lighthearted**_** because I've been really mean to these characters lately. But don't worry. There **_**will **_**be whump at the end of this chapter. You are really going to want me to update once you finish reading it. So I will, plus, I know exactly what to write now, so it should be sooner. It's just finding the time to do it, is what I struggle with most. :D**

**Also, can you spot **_**The Chaser's War on Everything**_** quote? It's not exactly the same but along the lines of it. If you don't know what this TV show is, you should. It's Australian so I'll give a brief summary. These guys go around pranking people (no actors – all real) like pretending to be police officers and etc. It's hilarious! **

**Warning: ****There is a red-haired people analogy. I really didn't intend to hurt anyone – **_**offend**_** I mean. I do hurt people (*cough* Merlin *cough*).** **And it's came from Merlin's mouth – Colin (actor of Merlin) too actually. Colin said in this Video Diaries thing that he didn't like gingers (as a dark joke I assume). But that isn't what sparked my thoughts. I don't know what did but I can say is that I didn't do it because of that reason. I only thought of that Video Diaries thing now (and that '**_**now' **_**occurred after I wrote the analogy). Oh, and did I mention there's Merlin whump at the end – is that a good warning? Well, that's enough of my rambling. Please read and review!**

**Chapter Nine: ****More Pain for the Warlock**

**Previously, on **_**The Repercussions of Being Ransomed…**_

The servant rubbed his hands together. "Okay, let's get these robes on." He walked a little closer to where the bodies lay. "It's freezing."

Merlin stopped moving and placed a hand on his hip. His lips were pursed; a puzzled expression had crossed his features. "Don't you think it's a bit strange that this part of the cavern is so much colder than any other section?" He spoke with unsure narrowed eyes. "I don't think I really want to know what's on the other side of this wall. There's just something about it…" He bit his bottom lip.

Arthur hands up in surrender. He shook his head and laughed.

"All right. We're not going to smash the dead-end down… At least not right now. If our other plans fail we're coming back here."

The prince's expression then turned serious. His eyes were now wide with somber sincerity.

"And, _God_ help me—" the man exhaled, "—if you don't want to come, I'll _drag_ you with me the whole way and then _smash_ the wall down myself. Regardless of what you think or do. Is that _understood_?" He held his hands in front of himself with a fake smile residing on his face.

"Fine then." grumbled Merlin. _Oh, no. Arthur wasn't just any old __**prat. **__He was a __**pompous**__ one. And a __**damn **__good one at that. _

**-(I~I)-**

**Presently...**

"How do I look?" asked Merlin. He spread his arms to his sides like an eagle's wings in flight. The dark fabric soared with the movement. His hands were hidden within the lengthy sleeves of his newly acquired robes.

"Like a dwarf who just went swimming with his clothes on."

Both, Arthur and Merlin had stripped the two unconscious Areltorians of their clothing - apart from their undergarments of course - and put the bleak outfits on. They'd chosen men who had a similar body shape to themselves so the wear wouldn't be too tight, loose, long or short. Well, _sort of_.

Thin black tunics went underneath heavy dark robes. Thankfully, the men didn't have to change pants as the attire was long and hid their legs nicely. But, Merlin's, a little _too _well.

"Well, come on. Don't just stand there like a dandelion." Arthur turned from his friend and gestured him to follow. Merlin stumbled after the prince.

The men briskly walked down the cold passage they had originally come through. "Not that way." The warlock put an arm on Arthur's shoulder to cease his movement. "We need to turn left here."

The prince shrugged the hand off him and begrudgingly went down the suggested route. He mumbled quietly to himself, "M-magic … Guiding us … Merlin's m—… His… _magic_ … The idiot is guiding me… with his… _his_, _magic_."

"It's not all bad you know." stated Merlin. He'd been listening carefully to Arthur's consistent muttering.

"What?" asked the prince surprised he turned his head slightly to the man.

"Magic. It's not all bad." repeated the warlock.

The prince turned his eyes back to the front of himself. "Well, it seems so. Or you wouldn't have saved my life back there. Unless…"

"—Arthur, magic. Magic can be used as a force for good. Magic just _is_. It's neither good _nor_ bad. It can be used as a shield and a weapon. The wielder of it decides how they wish to use it."

"Well, there aren't very many good sorcerers then, are there?" His eyes stayed glued in front of himself.

"Or maybe your father's hate for magic has pushed all that _away _from the kingdom."

The prince stayed silent. The men continued walking, Arthur a little ahead of his manservant. Their black robes gliding behind themselves like capes.

"Some people are born with red hair; they have no choice in it. They are sometimes even judged upon it before meeting others. And there are not as many of them out there as there are," Merlin paused, "—brunettes, blondes and so forth.

"Sometimes they even dye their hair to fit in. But they have to keep dying it to stay hidden. The dye comes at a price as well. It isn't cheap. Also, as they age, their hair will begin to turn grey and get weaker, thinner—"

"_Mer_lin. Where the _hell_ are you going with this?"

"Look, the point is, Arthur—" the servant sighed, "I don't have any choice in possessing magic. And I just want you to know, _to know_ that it's _not_ all evil."

"Perhaps." said Arthur quietly.

The warlock hesitated. "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I'll leave Camelot." Merlin didn't want to desert his home but if that was what the prince wanted, then, he would do it.

"Merlin, I _won't_—" Arthur was cut off as a tough-looking Areltorian with ordinary brown hair and eyes walked in front of them.

_Won't? Won't what? _Merlin had always tried to imagine how the conversation of his magic would go with the prince. Would he be exiled, executed, hidden, revealed to all? Damn that Areltorian.

The man had a large and bulky build. His voice was deep and husky – many of the round ones had voices like these, come to think of it. "Special authority is required for being in this area."

_Special authority... They can't be serious? _Arthur hesitated. "Haven't you heard? This place is collapsing."

"Indeed, I have heard, but that gives you no excuse to come down this path."

"Well, how else are we going to get out?" _Was this the right route? He hoped so or the Areltorian would know something was up._ "We need to go through _this_ way so we're not crushed by stone." said Arthur boldly. He tried his best to sound honestly legitimate.

"True, you are."

_Really? So, this __**was**__ the right way after all. Good thing I trusted Merlin. Even though, what he did was…displeasing._

"I'll let you pass just this once, but first, I'll need to see your identification."

_Identification, what the hell is this place? _

"Come on. Hand it here."

_Okay, so I should have the identification on me. _The prince began searching every inch of his robes.

The Areltorian sighed. "Your _left inner-pocket_."

"Right," Arthur put on a fake smile before reaching inside his robes. He felt his fingertips touch something smooth and flimsy. The man pulled out some slightly crumpled, cream-coloured parchment.

The Areltorian snatched it from his hands; he read aloud from the paper. "Leofrick, second son of Richard of Estléwick," The man then continued reading silently.

After he'd finished, the man folded the paper and handed it back to Arthur. His expression held doubt. "I've never seen you around here before. I'm good friends with Richard; didn't expect this to be what his son looked like."

Arthur sighed inwardly with relief. He also wondered why this particular Areltorian who he'd pretended to be was named with the likes of a noble.

"And you?" The man looked over to Merlin. "What's your name?"

The warlock stumbled forward next to Arthur. He reached into his left pocket _but_ before he could pull out the parchment, the man stopped him with words. "No, I want _you_ to tell me your name."

"Mer—" The warlock cut himself off before it was too late. If Ryrren had known his name, then there was a high chance he'd told others before he'd died.

"What was that?" asked the Areltorian. He tried hard not to show his glee in exposing the imposter. The man had never seen these guys before and they seemed pretty clueless to how things worked. This wasn't the first time people had tried to infiltrate them. Though, he still needed proof – just to make sure.

"Uh,—" The warlock finished his name with the end of the first thing that came to his mind. _Dragon. _"—Mergon. Mergon, first son of, uh, Kilgharrah of um… Northumbria." _Why does the Great Dragon __**always**__ influence my made up names? _

"Identification." He held out a meaty hand.

"I'm not showing you anything until you show me yours." stated Merlin confidently. He knew he would be found out if he gave the slip of paper to this man. He was already suspicious.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I want you to show me _your_ identification first." Hopefully Merlin could stall until he thought of something else.

The man looked sheepish, "Oh... Right." He then sighed, "If you really _must _insist." The Areltorian pulled out his special society's identity and handed it roughly to Merlin.

"Hmm… I'm sorry." The warlock pretended to read over the information before looking up into the man's menacing brown eyes. Though, he did not let those dark irises cause him to cower.

"What?"

"It seems that _I_ outrank you." The warlock looked back down to the parchment with a raised brow. He shook his head slightly while biting his lower lip.

Arthur resisted the urge to slap a hand to his forehead. Merlin's acting skills were atrocious. He could hardly believe that this Areltorian was falling for it.

"_What?_" The man repeated himself. It looked like someone had just smacked him across the face.

"Let _us_ go, and we'll let _you_ go." Merlin gave the man his identification back and put his "own" away.

"Could you tell me what this is all about?"

"I'm sorry but that's classified." The servant ran a hand horizontally through the air on the word, _classified._ "Come on, _Leofrick_." He began walking and Arthur followed quickly leaving the gaping Areltorian. Merlin refrained from the urge to taunt the prince about his "name".

"And _that_ is how a warlock does it, Arthur." muttered the servant with a slight smirk. He felt like a new warlock. The prince would probably push all that _smugness_ out of him soon enough, though.

"Wait!" a furious shout sounded from behind. The men turned around to see another Areltorian standing there next to the gawking one. "I know you! You're the Prince of Camelot and… _and why_…" The man's eyes glowed with the sudden intensity of a maniac. "Why, if it isn't _his_ servant, _Merlin_." he snarled loudly. The man pressed his tone harshly on the warlock's name.

As Arthur and Merlin heard this, they simultaneously turned their faces to one another, sharing the same unsure look. This lasted for less than a second. Both were soon sprinting forward.

Unfortunately, after a few strides, they felt themselves stop moving instantly. The sensation would be that of standing in an icy lake on a winter's day, and then finding your legs frozen in it the next morning.

They were as still as statues; immobile in a running position. The men could still breathe, blink, and use their five senses, but that was all. They could not move any part of their body or talk. No matter how hard they tried.

The new Areltorian casually walked up to the boys'; the other following closely behind.

"Good thing I came when I did. These are the men who were meant to be questioned and then ransomed but managed to escape before we could do so."

Merlin figured that this must have been one of the men who had helped Althadrel capture them in the first place. The ones who had been apart of the ambush.

"Uh, _Lucas_, I'll alert the guards and get some assistance…" The large Areltorian ran off past the men and into the distance. He was soon out of sight.

A bitter voice startled the warlock. "_You_ killed my brother, _Merlin_." The newly-appeared Areltorian whispered into the servant's ear as he smirked. Merlin hadn't even noticed him move there. The man circled his frozen figure.

Arthur would be sure to goad the warlock on his unintentional killing skills later. That would be _if_ they survived this round.

The man's features held a superior gleam as he gazed into Merlin's nervous eyes. This Areltorian was slim and around Ryrren's young age. He had cold hazel irises; along with cropped brunette curls. "And do you know what I do to people who kill my friends?" Lucas paused before his voice hardened, "_I make sure they_ _pay_."

The man's eyes flashed gold and the servant found himself unfrozen. The warlock dropped to his knees in shock. His legs had already forgotten how to support his weight. Merlin slowly began to stand back up.

Not even a few seconds after he'd managed to rise from the ground, he saw a large shape come upon him – it whammed right into his stomach. Merlin flew backwards; his head smacked hard against the surface of rock before he slid down the wall. The breath was knocked from him and a bright light burned beneath his scrunched eyelids.

Realisation dawned on the warlock. That man had just punched him. _Hard._ It would have had to be amplified with the force of a powerful gift. No ordinary man could possess that amount of strength in his fist. The Areltorian's eyes also played a part in his final conclusion of the ownership of a certain skill. They'd just returned to their usual hazel colour. The molten gold that was shining in his irises moments before showed that Lucas _had,_ in fact, used magic.

Just as Merlin began to regain his composure, the man roughly grabbed the neckline of his black robes. He ruthlessly dragged the reluctant warlock up the wall before smashing a clenched hand into his nose. A thin stream of blood trickled from the man's left nasal passage as he was severely beaten.

Powerful blows were thrown multiple times at the servant. Each held unmistakable rage; every hit intended to bring as much pain as possible. The warlock whimpered while fighting to hold back tears.

Where was _he_? _Please, Arthur. __**Please..**__. Please forgive me._

**Was it so bad just to give Merlin some joy of feeling well again? Let him feel cocky just for a **_**little **_**bit? At least we're back on the whumping track people! **

**You may have noticed the hair dye thing and are thinking, **_**there's no such thing as hair dye back then**_**… But I did some research and apparently, there was. But most likely, it wasn't as good of a quality as today's is. If there really was no such thing as hair dye back then, then I'm sorry but I'm **_**not**_** changing it (I'm stubborn, you see). I like my analogy. I just needed something that wasn't a **_**sword **_**because _everybody_ uses that one. And since its **_**Mer**_**lin we're talking about here, I'm sure he's allowed to get away with saying things like that without it seeming OOC and being somewhat funny. **

**Did you catch the quotes? It's from the APEC security episode so you can go and check it out on YouTube if you wish. It's damn good and my second favourite TV show (can you guess my favourite?) but got canceled because the pranks became out of hand, like, dressing as Osama bin Laden and managing to get through Australia's 'toughest' security while being 10 meters away from the president's hotel just using a Canadian flag and some other methods. But it's returning later this year apparently – it got cut off in 2009.**

**Review please! :D**


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